In the Dark: Cliff's Story
by yunakitty
Summary: Cliff moves into the inn, and enjoys some wordless encounters with his sullen roommate. Hot yaoi boyxboy action! This is the same story as In The Dark, but told from Cliff's perspective, so it's quite different. Lots and lots of hot, sweet action.
1. Chapter 1

This is In the Dark, told from Cliff's perspective

_This is In the Dark, told from Cliff's perspective. It is the same events happening over again, but Cliff has a different outlook on things, so it's quite different.  
_

In the Dark - Cliff's Story

"Cliff, this is Gray." Ann, the bubbly innkeeper's daughter, motioned from me to another young man about my age. "Gray, this is Cliff." She motioned from him to me. "He'll be your new roommate."

I gave a little half smile and nodded my head, but all that it was returned it was a scowl and a grunt. Ann just sighed and shrugged, then left. I fidgeted for a moment, still looking at Gray. He was looking away from me. He wore a tan one piece jumpsuit, that had black smears in places on it. I wondered what kind of work he did. Something manly, I was sure of that. He seemed that type. His jaw line, which was currently clenched in anger, was very masculine. The quick glimpse I had gotten of his eyes, I had seen that they were a very cold blue. His hair was short and blond, mostly obscured underneath a blue hat. He looked pretty tough and mean. I mentally noted to myself that I'd better not get on his bad side

I walked over the bed that Ann had said was mine, and eased my heavy backpack to the floor. I began unpacking a few things from it, when I felt his eyes on me. I chose not to look up, because I knew he would probably just get irritated at me. Gray looked like he could beat me up if he wanted to, and I really was not in the mood for a fight. I just kept my head low, unpacking my things in silence.

The rest of the day was a blur. I was dragged around town, introduced to all kinds of people, shown all kinds of places. I tried to keep smiling the whole time, but it was misery for me. I'm not good with people. They make me feel nervous and uncomfortable. Especially people that want to hear your life story and then tell you theirs. It's overwhelming. I returned to my room that night exhausted, and I fell asleep quickly.

The next day, I explored a little on my own. I returned to the church that I was shown the day before. Right from the moment I walked in, my heart was set at ease. I'm not religious, but the silence of the place was soothing to my soul. I sat down on the front pew and rested. Carter, the pastor, just nodded at me. We had already been introduced outside of the building yesterday, and I was relieved that he didn't attempt to join me and start talking. I really am a strange person, because I don't like being alone, but I don't like talking either. It was comforting to have Carter standing at the front of his church, smiling to himself happily, yet letting me be.

That evening , I returned to the inn. I had made an arrangement with the innkeeper, Doug, that I would do odd jobs for him in return for room and board, and he had happily agreed. He was getting older, and there was sometimes too much for him and his daughter to handle. I fixed the handrail on the stairs that day, and then sat down for dinner. My roommate joined me, giving me a scowl as he sat down. He seemed in a pretty bad mood for whatever reason, and didn't say a word, which was just fine with me. I'd hate to try to make small talk with a guy as irritable as this. He shoveled food into his mouth as fast as he could, then stood up with a loud scrape of his chair and stomped up the stairs. I ate slower, finishing my meal several minutes later, then cleared both his and my dishes, taking them to the kitchen and helping Ann wash up.

About an hour later, I returned to my room. As I walked in the door, I caught Gray by surprise. He was changing for bed, just having removed his jumpsuit, and he stood in nothing but his boxers, about to pull a shirt on. I stared at his body for a moment. Just as I had guessed, he was pretty muscular, with firm biceps and a flat stomach. He glared at me, and I quickly looked away and hurried over to my bed, changing with my back turned to him. No, I definitely did not want to get on his bad side.

He clicked off the lamp, and we both climbed into our own beds. I listened to him toss and turn. Every so often, he would sigh in frustration, then turn again. He was definitely mad about something. I lay in silence, trying to fall asleep. However, I couldn't. I knew what I needed, so being as quiet as I could, I reached into the front pocket of my backpack, which was close to my bed, and fished out a small thing of lube. I reached to the nightstand between us, noting as I turned that way that his back was turned, and got a tissue. I worked my boxers below my hips, squeezed a little in my hand, and started going at it. I was pretty good at doing this quietly, so I was fairly sure that I wouldn't attract his attention. It felt so good and relaxing to do this before going to sleep. I finally climaxed, being careful not to let any noise escape my mouth, and threw the used tissue in the wastebasket between our beds. I rolled over and went to sleep.

The next evening, we both got in our beds once again. I listened for a moment, and he seemed to have fallen asleep rather quickly. So I didn't hesitate, lubing up my hand once again and pleasuring myself. In the middle of it, I swore I heard the other bed start to shake, but it must have just been my imagination.

The next night, I did my thing again, and I was sure that time that I heard the other bed shaking, and heard a grunt once or twice. I knew it! He was doing it too! The idea of him touching himself at the same time I did was incredibly arousing, and I fought a moan as I slid my fingers up and down myself, my manhood throbbing and tingling like never before. I exploded quickly and powerfully, and as I cleaned up, I heard the other bed shuddering with creaks and knew that he was climaxing too. I sighed in satisfaction and then fell asleep,

But I wanted to be sure. After we got in bed the following night, I lay still. I wanted to touch myself so badly, but I wanted to see if he was really doing it or if my aroused mind was just imagining things. So I lay in the dark, listening intently for any sign. A long time passed, and I figured that I had been imagining things. But suddenly, I heard Gray make a huffing noise, and then I heard his bed begin to shake. I heard him grunting deeply, and within a few seconds, I was rock hard. I quickly found the lube and slicked myself down, then began pumping. I turned myself on even more by imagining that I was touching him and that he was touching me. Just a few moments later, I heard a muffled cry of pleasure as the other bed squeaked frantically, and I knew that Gray had climaxed. The thought of it was so satisfying, that I released immediately, unable to hold back a groan of pleasure. I fell asleep, satisfied and blissful.

The next day, as I was repairing a chair in the main dining area, Gray stomped in from work. I had learned that he was a blacksmith's apprentice. My mind immediately wandered to imagining his slightly calloused hands sliding over my body. I shook myself back to reality, and set back to work as he went up the stairs. A few hours later, it was dinner time. He sat across from me, but would not look at me. That was fine with me. I was happy about what happened last night, but it wasn't like I wanted to sit here and talk about it. I just ate my food, trying to keep from staring at him. I just hoped that maybe we could have some more fun tonight as well.

When night finally fell, we both changed for bed and I turned out the lights. There was no reason to wait anymore, so I pulled my boxers down, lubed my hand up, and began squeezing myself. I was laying on my back, and I was pleased to see that Gray was as well. He was usually turned away from me. I could hear his bed squeaking softly, and I was able to see his hand moving under the sheets. Oh, how I longed to touch him. Once again, I imagined his calloused hands stimulating me, and that spurred me on. Suddenly, I head a pleased cry from the other bed, which shook loudly with the force of his climax. I could just barely see Gray's face in the moonlight, his eyes tightly closed in ecstasy, and I imagined that I had given him that pleasure. That pushed me over the edge, and I exploded with a low groan. I smiled lazily as I cleaned myself up. Gray was just leaning towards the wastebasket in the middle of our beds, and I saw a surprised look on his face. I quickly averted my eyes, still not sure if he was as into this as I was. I rolled over and went to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

The next night, I was ready to see him

The next night, I was ready to see him. So when night fell I immediately turned in to bed. I was exuberant that Gray followed me. Continuing my delight, as soon as he got in bed, Gray turned towards me. I turned towards him, and I saw him start nervously. He wouldn't look me in the face, but instead kept his eyes glued below my waist. I tingled all over, realizing that he wanted to see me just like I wanted to see him. I watched his face as I brought my hands to the waistband of my boxers. I saw his eyes widen and then he licked his lips, and I knew I was doing the right thing. I eased my boxers down, revealing my hardness. Gray groaned as he stared at it, and I felt myself throb and ache with pleasure. He brought his hands to his boxers, and eased them down as well. I gasped when I saw it. It was so thick. My mind immediately became a flurry of erotic thoughts. I imagined encircling my fingers around that thickness, stroking it, bringing my mouth to it…my thoughts quickly broke off as he began pulling on himself. Oh, this was even better than I had hoped it would be. I grabbed for the lube quickly and got myself wet, then started touching myself, hot with desire. He traced his knuckles up and down the outside of the shaft, then grasped himself once again and pumped. Before long, he was groaning in pleasure, and he rolled his body just slightly so that he could catch the release in a tissue. I saw the stream of thick liquid coming out, and I imagined tasting it. That forced me over the edge, and I bucked my hips as I exploded with pleasure into a tissue. I saw Gray's eyes moving back and forth from my face to my manhood, and he moaned. I was ecstatic, realizing how much he was enjoying this. We both rolled over and fell asleep.

The following night, I was nervous but thrilled. I was going to try something, and there was a chance that he might reject it, but I had to try. We turned into our beds, and Gray turned towards me. I turned towards him as well, and as I did I saw him take off his boxers completely, so I also removed mine. His hand moved down to his hardness, and he slid his fingers up and down the length. I got some lube on my hand, and began working myself. Gray groaned in pleasure, and I groaned as well. Realizing that it was now or never, I got up my courage and quickly stood up, advancing on him. I caught a glimpse of his startled expression, and he rolled his body away from me. That was fine with me, as it would actually make things easier. I lifted up the edge of his covers and slid into bed next to him, our hot, bare skin touching. I reached around and felt for his hardness, finding it quickly. My hand was still slick with lube, and it glided easily up and down his length. I groaned inwardly at how wonderful his thickness felt. I breathed heavily on his neck, and ground my hardness into his back. I wanted to get him to touch it so badly, but first things first. I ran my knuckles up and down his shaft, and I felt Gray tremble, which just made my hardness ache even more. He grunted and thrust his hips towards my hand, and I just continued stroking him. He tensed his body, and began to groan as he shuddered and released. He brought his hand to catch his own release, and I squeezed him one last time, then snagged him a tissue. He accepted it and mopped up the creamy liquid. I licked my lips in anticipation, watching that. I had considered cleaning it up for him with my mouth, but that might be too much for him right now.

I lay behind him, listening to his heavy breathing. Then, I felt him start to turn towards me, so I turned as well, so that now he could be behind me. Gray reached his shaking hand around my waist and found me. He gripped me softly, squeezing his hand up and down once or twice, then grasped me so firmly, that I cried out. His hands were just as calloused as I had imagined, and it was incredibly stimulating. He stroked me, then brought his hand to the head and squeezed there, like he must have seen me doing to myself. I squirmed in pleasure, loving how roughly he was touching me. I felt his manhood getting hard again against my back, and I was immeasurably pleased to know that doing this was arousing for him as well. I clenched my muscles as I felt my climax approaching, and Gray swiftly moved his hand over me. I gasped unevenly as I came, and moaned as I felt Gray thrust his hardness against my back. I used a tissue to catch my release, and I trembled in ecstasy. I lay there for a moment, enjoying the feeling of afterglow, then I quickly returned to my own bed before he could kick me out of his. I fell asleep very satisfied.

The next day, I was busy doing chores for Doug. I thought about Gray all day, my mind wandering back to last night. How he felt to the touch, how he sounded when he groaned in pleasure…I found myself with a hard on several times during the day. When it was finally bedtime, Gray changed quickly and dove into bed, a sign to me that he was up for more tonight. I smiled a little to myself, changing out of my day clothes. I thought of something important, and I crossed the room to lock the door. We usually didn't lock it, and it wasn't like Ann or anyone else had ever tried to come in at night, but better safe than sorry. I turned off the lamp, and climbed into bed.

I lay for a minute, breathing heavily, my heart beating fast. I could hear Gray breathing hard as well, and I turned towards him, pulling my boxers off, and I saw him do the same. I got some lube and began stroking myself lightly, watching him, and he began pulling on himself hard, obviously desperate with desire. My mouth watered and my hardness ached at that, and I stood up and approached his bed again. He turned away from me, scooting slightly to make room for me. I slid in behind him, and put one hand on his hip and squeezed, being careful not to rub off all the lube. Then I slid my hands down over his muscular bottom, and I felt him tense up. I chuckled a little, knowing that he must be afraid that I was going to try to take him from behind. Well, I wasn't really into that. I knew a better way to get pleasure. I parted his thighs slightly and slipped my hardness in between. I heard him sigh and felt him tighten his thighs on me, and I thrust into him.

Then, I reached around and found him. I stroked up and down his thick manhood, while at the same time pushing myself in and out of the tight space between his thighs. It felt so good, the slippery friction, and before I knew it, I was gasping unevenly as I came. I groaned as my hot, thick release spilled in between Gray's thighs. As the waves of aftershock surged through my body, I realized that I was still holding on to Gray's hardness. My hand had become dry, so I touched my fingers into the liquid I had made, and used that to glide over Gray's manhood. Within just a few moments, Gray was bucking his hips wildly into my hand, exploding with pleasure. We cleaned up the mess as best we could, and then I once again returned to my own bed.

The next day, I was already sitting at the dinner table when Gray arrived. He slid onto the bench across from me, just a hint of a smile on his lips, and his eyes met mine for just a second. I gave him a quick smile back, and then he lowered his hat over his eyes, hunching over his dinner. If I was a more sociable man, I probably would be offended that the guy that I had brought to orgasm last night couldn't even bring himself to say hello to me. But I wasn't, so it didn't bother me. I didn't want to have conversations with him. I was happy just to have him around me, and even happier when I had him next to me.

Later, I got into my bed before Gray did, so he was the one to lock the door and turn out the light. I gasped as he immediately slipped into bed with me. My heart fluttered, thrilled that he was taking the initiative. I turned my back to him, and his hands insistently tugged at my boxers. My whole body tingled in anticipation as I removed them, and he quickly removed his own. He pushed his thick hardness between my thighs, moaning with pleasure. I tensed up my thighs to make it even better for him, and he thrust enthusiastically. Then I felt his arm snake around my waist, his hand finding my already hard member. He touched it lightly with the tips of his fingers, and the sensation of his calluses on my tender skin felt amazing. He then squeezed me and began stroking. His hand was dry, and it was a little too rough for me like that. I had thought to put the lube under my pillow just in case, and I managed to get a little on my fingers, then wiped it on myself. Gray squeezed the head and then spread it around on me. It made it so much more pleasurable, and I sighed happily. The strong way that he gripped me brought me to climax before I knew it. I moaned in ecstasy, and I felt him begin to buck harder against me. He shuddered all over and groaned deeply, as he spurted his hot come in between my thighs. He lingered for a moment with me, then abruptly stood up and went back to his own bed. I cleaned up, then turned to watch him settling into his bed. I smiled and then closed my eyes, quickly falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

The next night, we turned into bed early

The next night, we turned into bed early. I was aching for more, and I could tell by his body language that day that he was too. I waited in my bed for a while, seeing if he would join me. He didn't, so I stood up and went to him. He started to roll away, but I grabbed him gently, keeping him on his back. I clambered over him, breathing hard as I pulled down his boxers. I grabbed his hardness with both of my hands, rolling the firm flesh in between. Gray made a little noise of pleasure and then thrust his hips upwards. I took my cue, lowering my head to meet him. I pressed my lips against the head, and then slowly stretched my tongue out to taste the slick moisture that was already there. It tasted sweet, and Gray groaned, tilting his hips up at me in desire. I opened my mouth and moved down, taking just the head inside for now. Gray was making all sorts of noises in his frenzy of pleasure. I sucked on him gently at first, then harder. I took more of his thick member into my mouth, enjoying the taste of his skin immensely. To my surprise, I felt Gray's hand in my hair, pressing my head down, urging me to take more. I moaned happily and took as much as could, his hardness filling my entire mouth. Gray squirmed in ecstasy under me. I bought my mouth back up, sucking the head gently once more, as I massaged the rest of him with my hand. I felt his body tremble slightly, and then he made short, quick thrusts upwards as he exploded in my mouth. I felt the warm, sweet rush, and swallowed it eagerly. Gray was writhing on the bed, obviously overcome with how good it had felt. I watched him, pleased.

After a while, he opened his eyes and looked at me. I returned his gaze calmly, an unspoken question on my face. He stared at me, then his eyes widened, and he looked away. I knew he was going to be hesitant to return the favor, as I was fairly sure he had never done it before. I wouldn't have my feelings hurt if he refused. He could just pleasure me with his hand instead. But suddenly, he sighed and stood up, pulling his boxers back on. He motioned at the bed, signaling me to lay like he had been, so I complied. He was shaking just a little as he straddled my legs, and he tugged down on my boxers. He grabbed at me, and then quickly lowered his head and took me in his mouth. I was surprised and pleased, and had to cover my mouth from screaming out. He bobbed his head vigorously, scraping his teeth lightly against my shaft. Then he encircled me with his fingers, his mouth right above his hand, and worked them together on me. If this was truly his first time doing it, then this guy was a natural. I moaned in pleasure, then gritted my teeth and bucked my hips as I came. I felt myself spurt into his mouth, and he quickly jerked his head up. An indescribable look was on his face as he reached out for the tissues. He spit my release out into one, opening his mouth and sticking out his tongue in disgust as he threw it away. I couldn't help but laugh a little. Oh well, so he isn't a swallower. Well, maybe he might get used to it. It is surprising at first, after all. I longed to stay in his bed with him, but I could tell he was not the cuddling kind. I wriggled out from underneath him and got back in my own bed.

The following day, I thought about him all day. All I could think about was being close to him again. I got ready for bed, tingling with anticipation. He shut off the light, and then slipped into bed with me. I started to roll away from him, but he held me in place with his strong hands, making me lay face to face with him. My heart pounded in my chest. Our faces were so close. I could see his eyes glittering in the moonlight as he tugged at my boxers. We both removed our boxers, and his hardness brushed up against mine. Gray moaned deeply. I got the lube out and put a copious amount in my hand, then stroked it over both of us. We lay so close together that it was almost as if our hardnesses were one, and I was able to press them together as I worked my hand over both of them. Gray continued to moan in pleasure, and I reached for his hand. I guided it back to where I had been working, and he took over the stroking, touching both of us. It was overwhelmingly erotic, and I bit my lip, hissing with pleasure.

My eyes were fixed on his mouth. I got this uncontrollable urge to kiss him, and I did. His lips were rough against mine, and I felt him squirm a little as I pressed my mouth to his. He finally relaxed, and I thrust my tongue into his mouth. He quickly reacted, his tongue wrestling with mine. It was like he was fighting for dominance over me, and I let him push his way on top of me, kissing me frantically all the while. He grabbed at me and stroked my hardness quickly for a moment, then stroked his own. He came out of the kiss, rearing back a little as he stroked himself furiously. He groaned deeply as he climaxed, and he spurted his hot liquid all over me. It was so incredibly erotic to watch him being consumed with ecstasy, covering every inch of my stomach with his come. He finally caught his breath and wiped it up, needing three tissues to get it all. He threw them away and then started touching me again. It felt so good, and I was already so turned on, that I wanted to do the same thing to him. I carefully rotated in the bed so that now I was over him, and I snatched myself out of his hand. He looked startled but pleased, watching me pleasure myself. Before long, I felt myself coming, and I let it go all over Gray's perfect stomach. He groaned even more than I did, watching it come out onto him in pure delight. We stayed like that, relishing the feeling for a few more moments, and then he reached up and to the side for the tissues. He cleaned himself up, and then worked his way out from under me and got into his own bed. I longed for him to let me hold him, even just for a little while, but I was happy with whatever I could get from him. I slipped under the covers and fell asleep, blissful.

The following day, I repaired a table for Doug, and did a few other chores. I was sitting at the bar drinking some water, when I heard the front door of the inn creak open. I turned curiously and saw Gray shuffle in, looking miserable. I started to go to him, but just then, Doug called out for me. He wanted my help with moving some furniture, and I knew I shouldn't refuse. After we were done with that, Ann asked me to help her with the dishes, and I moved on to that task.

When I finally finished up, I went up the stairs and into our bedroom. The lights were off, and Gray was laying curled up on his bed, on top of the covers, still wearing his jumpsuit. His face was lined with worry and pain. I quietly walked over to his bed, and slipped in behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He slowly stirred, and then struggled for a moment, trying to get away. I started to let him go, but he relaxed again, moving close to me. I just held him there, breathing in the sweet scent from the back of his neck. I wanted to make him feel better, but I had no idea what the right words were to say. So I just reached around and unzipped his jumpsuit. He couldn't be comfortable trying to sleep in that. It was rough and lumpy, and it smelled of burnt metal. I helped him get out of it, then threw it aside. He rolled over to face me in the bed. He was only wearing his boxers, and he looked down at his hands, picking at them nervously. He seemed so exhausted and upset, that I didn't want to ask anything of him. I simply eased my own boxers down and began to stroke myself. He stared at the motion of my hand, and some of the worry vanished from his face. I stopped for a second to grab a tissue, then resumed working on myself. Feeling the warmth of his body so close to mine turned me on, and it wasn't hard for me to climax. I shuddered as I spilled into the tissue, and I heard Gray sigh.

I recovered for a moment, and then leaned into Gray, kissing him very softly on the lips. I then urged him with my hands to lay on his back. I kissed at his neck, then I kissed a trail down his chest, stopping at the waistband of his boxers. I pulled those down, and then grasped his already hard member and put my mouth on it. I sucked softly on the head, making Gray moan. I could feel him melting into the bed, and it made me happy that I was relaxing him. I reached up and raked my fingers up and down the sides of his ribcage, waist, and hips, making him shudder with pleasure. I twirled my tongue around the head, and Gray cried out. I could tell he was close, and I moved down, taking it all in my mouth. Suddenly he bucked his hips and I felt him burst into the back of my mouth. I stroked him lightly as swallowed it. I took my mouth off, but then noticed a tiny drop of his release still there, and I licked it off, making him tremble with pleasure. I then pulled myself up to lay next to him. He was still trembling, a blissful look on his face. I traced my fingers over that perfect stomach, admiring it. It felt so good to lay close to him, but I didn't want to press my luck. I kissed the side of his neck lightly, then retreated to my own bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Gray rose bright and early the next day

The next day, Gray was already gone for work when I woke up. I wasn't sure how Gray was going to react to me when I saw him next. I mean, after all, maybe this was getting a little too intimate for him. I would back off if necessary. All I cared about was that I got to be with him, on whatever terms necessary.

When Gray returned from work that evening, I was a little afraid to look at him. But curiosity and desire got the better of me, and I gazed across the bar at him. His eyes danced for a moment at me, then his hand went to the brim of his hat in a silent greeting. I was stunned. He had never really publicly said hello to me. Well, he still hadn't said anything to me, but this was still progress. I caught just a glimpse of a satisfied smile on his lips as he disappeared from the room. My whole body tingled in anticipation, and it took everything I had not to run after him right then. However, I didn't want to stir up any rumors, so I waited a decent amount of time, and then went up the stairs as well.

I made my way into our room, quickly locking the door behind me. I flicked off the lights, and then advanced towards him. He looked at me, a hint of intrigue on his face, and that was all I needed to continue. I sat down next to him, putting my hand on his knee. I felt him start just a little, but I just stayed calm, raking my fingers lightly against the rough material of his jumpsuit. I could feel him trembling then, and I was thrilled inside. I traced my hand up over his body, tickling across his neck, and ran my fingers through his short, blonde hair. I loved the way his hair was cut. It was so sexy and masculine. I carefully removed his hat, laying it aside. My hands returned to his head, feeling all of his hair. It was so cute, it was a shame that he kept it covered up all the time. I could feel Gray start to breathe hard, and I knew that he was just as turned on as I was.

So I moved forward, brushing my lips against his. He stayed still, as if frozen, so I kissed him harder and harder until he groaned deeply, opening his mouth to me. I thrust my tongue inside his mouth, and he quickly forced it back into my own mouth along with his own. I loved the aggressive way he kissed me, and I longed for more. His hands came to my shoulders, and I felt myself being urged down onto the bed. I happily went along with the movement. Gray positioned his body over mine, and I could feel his hardness pressing into my hip. I groaned with delight as he ran his fingers through my hair, pulling the string that held it in a ponytail loose with a tug. My hair spilled out free over his bedspread, and he continued to play with it, mesmerized.

I slid my hands over his narrow hips and waist, loving the way he felt. My fingers found the bandanna around his neck, and I fumbled a little as I untied the knot there. I pulled it loose, and then moaned as Gray began to kiss my neck. His lips pleasurably seared at my skin, and I groaned more as he licked passionately at my neck. His lips then found my ear, kissing and biting gently. His breath came harsh and lustful in my ear, and the sensation sent whispers of goosebumps all over my body. I was being driven mad with desire, but I loved every second of it. I moaned loudly to let him know that I enjoyed it, and he began to kiss at my other side.

I felt his hardness still grinding insistently at me. I longed to pleasure him, but I was enjoying his kisses too much to stop now. I grabbed onto his hips, pressing him in against me, loving the feeling as it rubbed briskly past my own hardness. Gray thrust himself at me, and then gave a little strangled cry. He thrust even more frantically at me, and I realized by the sound of his grunts and groans that he was releasing right then. The idea of it made my own hardness throb even more, and sat up with him, unzipping his jumpsuit. Once it was off, I turned my attention on his boxers. The front was soaked with his come, and I carefully removed them, setting them aside. Then I lowered my head and licked hungrily at his skin. Gray whined and moaned with delight as I cleaned him off. He tasted so sweet, that I couldn't get enough.

After I had gotten all I could, I stood, taking off my clothes. I laid down in my own bed, and quickly located the lube. As Gray got into bed with me, I squeezed a small amount out, rubbing it over myself. I reached out for Gray's hand, wanting him to touch me. He complied, grasping me and working his hand over it. I loved the way he touched me, so rough and hot. I couldn't resist catching his lips for a kiss, and he thrust his tongue deeply into my mouth.

He pulled away from me for a minute, looking down. I followed his gaze and saw that he had already recovered, so I took him in my hand, caressing his thick hardness. As I stroked at him, he urged me onto my back. He kissed me again, and I sucked his tongue into my mouth. He stroked even harder at me, and I felt like I had no control over it as I began releasing, my whole body trembling with pleasure. It shot out, landing on my stomach. Gray began to gasp unevenly, and in just a few seconds he released as well, spurting on top of my release. I glanced down at the mess, and chuckled softly at the sight of it. Gray carefully cleaned me up, and then laid back down in the bed next to me. I tremulously snuggled into his chest, waiting for him to push me away and return to his own bed. He didn't. I listened to his heart thudding in his chest, and I sighed happily. His breathing slowed down, and I carefully pulled the covers over us, and I fell asleep as well, our satisfied bodies pressed together.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When I woke up, as usual, Gray had already left for work. I had a faint memory of him getting out of the bed, and also of him kissing me on the cheek, but I couldn't be sure if those were dreams or if they really happened. I yawned and stretched, rolling out of bed and putting some clothes on. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and then headed downstairs to see what work there was to be done.

Doug looked relieved to see me, and asked that I watch the bar while he ran out to the supermarket. I offered to run the errand for him, but he insisted that he would rather go himself. He assured me that watching the bar would be easy, as it was only 8 am, and most likely no one would come in. But he didn't want to leave the bar completely unattended. I knew that Ann liked to spend her mornings at the waterfall with Popuri, and I didn't blame her. She often worked long days and late nights, so any time she could get for herself, she more than deserved to take it.

I set to work behind the bar, washing up glasses that were left from the night before. I polished the counter, and swept the floor of the whole inn. Doug came back after about an hour, and was pleased at the work I had done. He said that he didn't have any more work for me right then, but I knew I could do Ann a favor by going into the kitchen and cleaning up the rest of the mess from the night before, if there was any. Ann usually cleaned up well, but some nights ran long, especially if customers insisted on having drinking contests late into the night. She would often be too exhausted to bother with all the dishes, and would leave them until the next day.

I entered the kitchen through the swinging doors, and just as I had thought, there were piles and piles of dirty dishes. I got right to work on them, scrubbing and rinsing. Ann came in when I was almost finished, and thanked me profusely. I told her it was no trouble, and Doug walked in on this scene.

He laughed deeply. "You two look like a young married couple!" We both turned at him with wide eyes, and he shook his head lightly. "Now, now, don't look so shocked. You'd make a great couple!" He fixed a stern eye on me. "Come on, now, son! Don't you think Ann would make a lovely wife?"

I stammered and tried to think of a diplomatic response. Ann saved me from this by putting her hands on her hips and addressing her father, her face very red. "Dad! Quit teasing him! And you know I'm seeing Jack, the farmer. Don't you like Jack? Why are you trying to fix me up with someone else?"

Doug's face became red too, and he laughed nervously. "Oh, Ann, don't get upset. I was just SAYING, that's all. I think Jack's a fine young man. But," he gestured at me, "I'd imagine Cliff gets lonely, with just us for company. It would be nice if he could find someone." He shrugged amiably, turning and walking out of the kitchen.

Ann stared after him. "Somebody else lives here too, Dad," she said softly at his retreating figure. I started and blushed, realizing she was talking about Gray, and I turned away hurriedly to dry some dishes. I heard her begin to speak quietly again. "Your room is right above mine." I turned my eyes to look at her, my body frozen with fear. She knew.

"Don't worry," she continued softly. "Your secret's safe with me. And…at least you only…make noise in the evening, and not in the middle of the night where it would wake me up. Most of the time, I'm not even in there, because I'm working. I've only heard it twice, once from my room and once from the hallway, but I'm pretty sure of what I heard." I swallowed hard, still staring at her. "Am I right?" she asked me. I nodded mutely. She looked down at her hands. "It's fine. Just…promise me this. If you hear noises from my room when Jack's here…don't you dare say anything to my dad!" I nodded my head, whispering in assent. "Okay, it's a deal!" she said, grinning up at me. I gave her a slightly uncomfortable smile, and then quickly left the kitchen. Ann was a weird girl.

I took a walk around Mineral Town to clear my head, making sure to steer myself away from the areas where people tended to congregate. I ended up at the church, where I rested on a pew and collected my thoughts.

I returned to the inn a while later. I decided that I needed a shower, so I returned to my room and stripped off my clothes. I went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I held my hand under the flow until it was warm enough, then I stepped in and began washing off. I hadn't been in but a few minutes when I thought I heard a noise from my room. A moment later, the shower curtain rustled sharply, and Gray was suddenly in the shower with me. I turned around at him, gasping in surprise. He had a little smirk on his face as he hushed me by placing one finger on my lips.

He then gripped my shoulders with his strong, rough hands, and came in close to me, kissing me lightly. I closed my eyes and sighed, melting a little as he parted his lips and slipped his tongue into my mouth. His hands wandered up and down my body, tickling and teasing me. He then pushed me up against the wall, and began kissing at my neck. I sighed happily as he kept moving downwards. His lips were on my chest when he whispered, "I missed you."

Hearing him speak actual words to me, not just grunts and moans, and especially the fact that they were rather nice words, sent a huge thrill through my body. I loved the way his voice sounded, so deep and rough. I felt myself getting rock hard as he continued kissing a path down my body. Suddenly, he was there, and I had to muffle a pleased cry as he put his mouth on it. He raked his teeth lightly over the firm flesh, and I groaned, my knees threatening to buckle out from under me. I grasped desperately at the slippery shower wall, but it couldn't provide me any support, so I just gritted my teeth and did my best to stay standing as he pleasured me with his hand and mouth.

I felt his other hand slide up the inside of my thigh, until his finger teased gently at a very tender spot. I shivered slightly, thrilled; but scared too. His finger was suddenly inside, and I had to practically bite on my hand to keep myself from crying out. Gray took his mouth off of me long enough to ask if it hurt, but I told him no, and he continued.

It definitely wasn't that it hurt; it felt wonderful. I was just scared. I had only done THAT once, with an older man who was very rough about it, and it left me reluctant to ever try it again. I felt fear rise up in my chest when I wondered if Gray wanted to do THAT to me. But I felt the fear slip away when I realized that every else we had done felt incredible, so why would that be any different? I got a pleasurable thrill through my body as I also realized I would do anything that Gray wanted. I relaxed, concentrating on the sensations he was making me feel, and I moaned deeply as an earth shattering climax began to shake my whole body. It was the most powerful one I had ever had, and I lost track of where I was, and what I was doing as I sank to the shower floor.

I trembled, trying to regain hold of myself, and then I caught a glimpse of Gray's very hard manhood, which he was stroking lightly with his fingers as the water still beat down on us. I knew I was ready, so I motioned with my head for us to go into the bedroom. He shut off the water, and I handed him a towel with trembling hands.

Once we were somewhat dry, I stumbled into the bedroom, with him on my heels. I laid down on the bed, getting the lube and putting a copious amount all over his thick hardness. He looked me in the face, just a hint of worry in his eyes. "Are you sure…?" he asked me softly. I was very sure, so I nodded at him, and got myself into position so that he could enter me.

He moved up close to me, and I felt the tip of his hardness at my entrance. I tried to relax the best I could as he carefully penetrated me. I was pleasantly surprised at the feeling. It wasn't painful at all, but instead incredibly pleasing. I whimpered and sighed happily as he moved deeper into me. I looked up at him, and he had his eyes closed tightly as he groaned, overwhelmed with pleasure. He began to move faster against me, and before I knew it, he was coming hard, spurting inside of me. The feeling was so incredible, and I was overjoyed to have been able to have him inside of me. He leaned into me, kissing me, and I trembled with satisfaction.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Several days later, after many more blissful encounters, we prepared for another evening together. Gray lay back on his bed, stroking himself absentmindedly through his boxers. He watched me as I slowly peeled off my shirt. I couldn't wait to turn out the lights and get into his bed. But suddenly, I heard someone at the door. I turned my head sharply, pulling my shirt back on, and Gray swung his legs over the side of his bed, grabbing his pillow and shoving it into his lap to hide his very apparent arousal from whoever was invading our room. I sat down quickly on my bed, facing the other way and trying to act innocent.

Ann came through the door, talking brightly to a man in a purple bandanna. She turned her attention to us, and said, "Hey, you two. You're going to have another roommate for the summer! This is Kai." Ann met my eyes with hers for a moment, and she mouthed, "I'm sorry," very quickly, then put her cheerful demeanor back on.

The man was obviously a lover of the sun. His skin was a deep tan, and he wore casual beach clothes. He stepped into the room "'Sup, guys? I'll be running the snack shack at the beach this summer." I just turned my head and nodded at him, still in shock over this new arrival. My mind was whirling with panic that Gray and I would no longer have any privacy like we had gotten used to having. Kai cocked his head at me, looking like he expected me to high five him or something, and was experiencing a major letdown.

Ann took in this scene, and whispered to Kai, "They're both really shy, and they don't talk that much."

Kai shrugged, then grinned. "Ah, that's cool. 'Cause I like to talk a lot. Hope you guys like to listen!" My heart sank in my chest. No. This couldn't be happening. An overly friendly, super talkative guy would be sharing a room with us? Our peaceful and satisfying evenings were over. I looked at Gray, and he looked just as miserable as me as he realized all this.

It was going to be a long summer.

Ann pulled me aside the next day to help her wash dishes. "I am so, so sorry about putting Kai in your room," she breathed at me as we scrubbed. "My dad insisted, so that we could keep the other room free for female travelers. I tried to make up excuses, but he really insisted." She looked up at me apologetically, and I shrugged and grimaced. It couldn't be helped.

Summer would start in about a week, but Kai had arrived early so that he could relax for a few days and get the shop set up. He was away from the inn for most of the day, but he'd show up when we'd least expect it, so there was never a "safe" time that we could be together. I wanted Gray so much, I thought I was going to die, and I could tell that he was just as miserable as me, if not more.

I suggested that we go into the bathroom together, but Gray was even nervous of that, because what if Kai was waiting for his turn and we had to exit together? I begged him to go in with me for just a little while, but he insisted that it wasn't safe, and I had to give up.

Kai sure liked to talk. About the places he had traveled, about all the girls he had slept with, about how awesome he was…on and on and on. He never shut up. I prayed for him to fall asleep at night, because the never ending flow of words would finally cease, but then I would just lay in bed, aching for Gray in the silent darkness, and that was even worse. I would stare at Gray across the space between our beds, which suddenly seemed 100 miles wide. He would stare back, and one evening when Kai was downstairs at the bar drinking the night away, we were doing just that.

"Please," I whispered to Gray. "Please…I'll be so quick…just let me put my mouth on it, please…"

Gray groaned in frustration. "No…he'll walk in…I know it…"

I was so worked up, that I knew I had to have release or I would never be able to fall asleep. "Then let's just do it like old times." I pulled my boxers down under the covers and began to touch myself. I moaned softly, licking my lips as I stared at Gray.

"Dumb ass! W-what if he walks in?" Gray sputtered at me, looking panicked.

"We'll just stop. He can't see anything…it'll be fine," I purred at him. I squeezed myself harder, trying to quench the lust that was building up inside of me, "Please…I need it so bad…I need to hear you…" I whined. Gray groaned, then I could see the sheets rustling as he apparently began stroking himself. I sighed with satisfaction.

"Mmmm…" I moaned. "I want you so bad."

"I want you too," Gray whispered, breathing hard..

Hearing him and knowing that he was touching himself made me even harder. I wanted to feel his body pressed against mine. I wanted to lick every inch of him. My mouth watered as I thought about how his thick hardness felt in my mouth. "I want to taste you…" I hissed at him.

"Oh, don't…" Gray groaned. "You're driving me crazy... damn it…" He gave a little strangled cry and I could tell he was releasing. I tingled all over with pleasure, then began stroking myself furiously until I exploded as well. It was such a relief to finally release, but I still longed for more.

"I wish I could hold you," I whispered at Gray.

Gray sighed heavily. "I know…I wish summer was over already! Fuck summer!"

I heard the door creak open, and we both quickly pretended to be asleep. Kai stomped clumsily into the room, obviously drunk. He bumped into the side of my bed as he tried to get to his own. I couldn't see him, since I had my eyes closed, but I heard him sniff and then laugh. "Damn…it smells weird in here…like pancake batter…maybe Ann's making pancakes. I'm starving! Pancakes!" I heard him leave the room, and I covered my mouth to smother my laughter. Pancake batter indeed. Kai was a man, he ought to recognize that smell. But he was so drunk, and didn't really seem to be the sharpest crayon in the box, so he was off in search of something to eat, instead of realizing what had actually been happening in the room.

Since I knew he wouldn't be back for a moment, I flew out of my bed, over to Gray's. He squirmed and tried to protest as I kissed him firmly on the mouth. He relaxed and returned the kiss. I smirked and retreated to my own bed, murmuring "Just an innocent little kiss…that's all…" I snuggled down into the sheets, and fell asleep happy.

Kai kept up the same pattern of staying down at the bar until closing time every night. So, we were at least able to watch each other like old times. But I wanted to have Gray for real, and it drove me mad with desire that I couldn't just have him when I wanted him.

One evening, as I was putting away some freshly washed laundry, Kai piped up. "Tomorrow's the first day of summer, dudes! The Snack Shack will be open for business! I'll have the grand opening tomorrow. Every one in town is invited to the all you can eat buffet!"

My heart leaped with joy. That meant he would actually have to be out of the room for extended periods of time! Gray cleared his throat. "How long is this event going on for…?"

Kai grinned. "All day! Yeah, sunup to past sundown." Gray just nodded, then glanced at me. My mind was full of glee, and some very inappropriate thoughts.

The next day, Gray left for work as usual at sun up. Kai set out for the Snack Shack shortly after, and I went downstairs and helped Ann with some chores. After we were done, she suggested that we head out to the festivities Kai was holding. I really wanted to stay in my room and wait for Gray to get back, but I glanced at the clock. It wasn't even noon. There was no way his crusty old bastard of a grandfather would let him out that early. I shrugged, and agreed to accompany Ann to the beach.

We walked down the cobblestone path in silence. As we stepped onto the wooden boardwalk, a male voice piped up in greeting. It was Jack, Ann's boyfriend. She rushed forward to him, kissing him. I looked away, and the two of them wandered off together, abandoning me. Oh well.

I meandered over to the center of the festivities, the snack shack itself. Kai greeted me and handed me a large plate of various foods. I accepted it, a little overwhelmed by all the noise and commotion, so I moved into the quietest corner I could find. I ate the food disinterestedly. It wasn't that it didn't taste good; it did. It was just that I could think of something that I'd much rather be tasting right now.

Judging by the crowd, Kai was going to be stuck here for a while. That was a good thing. I finally abandoned my plate and headed back to the inn. I felt sticky and hot from the moist heat of the beach, and I decided to take a shower. As I came out from the bathroom, Gray appeared in the doorway. My heart leapt with joy and my whole body tingled as he locked the door behind him.

"He's gone! I even went to the stupid buffet thing to make sure he's staying all day," I said, as he advanced on me, snatching the towel from around my waist and kissing me deeply.

Gray removed his clothes quickly as he kissed me. "I need you," he breathed harshly at me, making me ache with desire. He pushed me back onto my bed, kissing me passionately and touching every inch of skin he could get his hands on. I pushed him back up, and worked my mouth down to his thick hardness. Gray groaned deeply, pressing down on my head and making me take it all in my mouth. It tasted so amazing, that I couldn't get enough . My mouth worked in a frenzy, and I reached down and stroked myself roughly. Gray gritted his teeth and tilted his hips up at me, grunting furiously as he released. I felt the hot, sweet rush filling the back of my throat, and I swallowed it, savoring the taste.

Gray's eyes were half shut with satisfaction, but I could still see lust burning in them. He shoved me onto my back and took my manhood into his mouth. He sucked hard at me, making me whine and pant in delight. I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair, loving the feeling of it. He gripped me tightly, working me closer and closer to orgasm. I groaned as I neared the threshold, his name escaping my lips over and over again as I felt myself release into his mouth. He pulled his mouth away, and gave a little half smile as he swallowed. My body trembled in intense ecstasy at the idea of him finally swallowing my release.

We got under the covers together, and we kissed and fondled each other as our bodies recovered. I was delighted at how quickly he was erect once more, and he touched me insistently until I was just as hard as him. I got the lube out and slicked both of us up, then he moved behind me as I got onto my hands and knees. "I need you inside of me…" I groaned, and he didn't hesitate to enter me. His arm snaked around my waist, finding my hardness and stroking it in the same rhythm that he was penetrating me with. The incredible pleasure overwhelmed me, and I felt like I was going to pass out as my climax approached. I couldn't even control my body anymore as I spurted out onto the sheets. Gray rammed into me over and over again, and then held himself still, all the way inside, as he trembled and released . I struggled to catch my breath, overpowered by ecstasy.

We held there for a moment, then he withdrew and I cleaned up the mess I had made of my bed. We laid down next to each other. His lips slid over my neck, and I kissed his as well. He sighed deeply, looking me in the eyes. "I love you," he whispered.

I sighed happily. It was the best thing I'd ever heard. "I love you, too," I whispered back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He moved in closer to me, and I savored the feeling of our bodies pressed together.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kai having the Snack Shack to keep him occupied was a wonderful blessing. Between that, his late night drinking, and the time he spent with Popuri, he really only was in the room to sleep at night. Still, Gray and I carefully planned out our encounters. Kai's shop was open from 11am to 1pm, and then again from 5pm to 7pm. So, we were pretty much assured that he would not return to the inn during those hours. The earlier time was out, as Gray very rarely got out of work that early, except for on Thursdays, his day off. So, we always planned to meet in the bedroom after 5pm.

I dreaded the days when Doug kept me busy with some task in the evening, and I practically would weep when I saw the hour hand pass the seven , knowing my chance at time with Gray was gone. But for the most part, we were able to satisfy each other at some point every day, even if we had to resort to "old times" aka, watching each other masturbate. I longed for the days when we could do what ever we wanted, pretty much whenever we wanted, and we could fall asleep in the same bed. I took comfort in the fact that every day that passed brought us one day closer to fall, when Kai would finally get the hell out. I actually had a nightmare one night that Kai announced he was opening the snack shack year round. I woke up in a cold sweat, absolutely terrified at the idea.

We finally decided that while we were being inconvenienced by the aggravating presence that was Kai, the best place to have sex was the shower. Since it locked from the inside, there was no way he could barge in. But there were some things that were a lot harder to do in the confined space of the shower, and oftentimes the hot water would run out, leaving us shivering violently as we struggled to finish. However, something was better than nothing, so we didn't complain.

One warm afternoon, I playfully pushed Gray down in my bed, nuzzling at his neck and groping him through his jumpsuit. He kissed me back and tried to pull me up towards the bathroom. I whined. "I don't feel like getting wet right now. Let's just do it here…" I trailed off as I nibbled at his ear. Gray groaned in pleasure, but continued trying to pull me to my feet. I refused to stand up, but instead began to disrobe. "Here…" I moaned. "I want it here."

Gray gave in, removing his own clothes and layering himself on top of me. But his body was tense. He jerked his head sharply towards the door, moving off of me suddenly. His eyes were wide, and he grabbed at his jumpsuit to cover his body. "I hear someone out there!" he whispered harshly.

I stroked at his back, trying to calm him down. "It's probably just that stupid cat." But Gray was insistent that it wasn't safe, so we went into the bathroom together. I locked the door, and he started up the shower. I advanced on him, embracing him from behind and kissing at his neck and shoulders. "Relax," I whispered at him. I heard him sigh deeply, and I felt the muscles in his body become less tense.

I led him by the hand into the shower, and then dropped to my knees, covering his manhood with my mouth. He moaned, and I slid my hands up the backs of his thighs. I knew he liked it if I put one finger in while I was pleasuring him with my mouth. So I did, and I felt him tremble. His hands clawed out wildly, grabbing a fistful of my hair and tugging it gently. The pulling on my scalp felt good, so I hummed happily and sucked more forcefully at him. He bucked his hips at me, and I could feel his muscles clenching around my finger. He groaned deeply, and my mouth was filled with his sweet release. I pulled away from him carefully, smiling up at him as I swallowed. He smiled down at me gratefully, and I stood up, my hand finding my own hardness.

He brought his hands to my shoulders and turned me around, then urged me up against the wall. My cheek pressed against the cold tile, and I shivered with anticipation. Suddenly, I felt a soapy washcloth on my back. I moaned happily as he washed my back, then moved lower and washed everything. Once the warm water had rinsed away all the soap, he brought his hands to my hips and I could tell that he was kneeling behind me. I moaned and whimpered in delight as I felt his tongue slide over my entrance. He knew that I loved when he did that. I groaned and grabbed my manhood, stroking it furiously while Gray pleasured me with his tongue. I felt my climax approaching, and I whimpered his name as come pulsed out of me and splashed onto the wall. I trembled, catching my breath, as Gray kissed at the backs of my legs. He kissed a path up my back and hugged me from behind, and I sighed and melted into his arms. The powerful flow of the shower quickly rinsed my release from the wall, and we finished up our shower.

We wrapped up in towels, then he stepped in place beside the door. We had decided that when leaving the bathroom together, one of us would stand beside the door while the other stepped out. That way, just in case Kai had returned unexpectedly, the one that had stepped out could distract him in some way so that the other one could escape. We hadn't really planned out the distraction part, but as it had never come up, it wasn't that big of a deal. Or so we thought. My heart seized up in my chest as I saw Kai standing outside of the bathroom. A million thoughts flooded through my head as I panicked about what to do.

"Oh, it's you," Kai said, looking disappointed. "I was looking for Gray, and Ann said he had already come home. Do you know where he is?"

I could feel my heart beating hard, and I nervously clenched my hand over the towel at my waist. "No! He's not here!" Wow, that sounded really guilty.

Kai frowned and shrugged. "Too bad. I just need him to come take a look at the ice shaver at the snack shack. It's all seized up and I need someone good at that kind of stuff to take a look at it."

I swallowed hard. Good. Maybe he was going to leave. I managed to speak. "If…if I see him, I'll tell him to go there."

Kai grinned. "All right, man, thanks. I'll keep looking for him around town." He started to walk out the door, then stopped and slowly turned around. He pointed by Gray's bed. "Aren't those his boots?" He stared back at me, and I froze in fear. We were found out. My mind worked furiously for an escape. My mouth began moving, and a lie floated out. "He…he…must be wearing his other shoes." I groaned internally at myself. Gray only had that one pair of boots. But maybe Kai had never noticed that…he was the kind of guy who only paid attention to himself.

Much to my relief, Kai shrugged again. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, tell him if you see him." He left with a wave of his hand, and I moved forward, locking the door behind him. I stumbled over to my bed and collapsed on it, shaking in relief. Gray peeked out from the bathroom and then stepped out as well.

I looked up at him, still shaking a little. "That was close…"

Gray dropped down next to me on the bed, wrapping his arms around me. After a few moments, I heard him sigh, and then he untangled himself from me and stood up. "Well, I guess I better get some clothes on and go see about that stupid ice shaver." He pulled on some clothes, and laced up his boots. "Other shoes…" he chuckled. "I guess I have to get some other shoes, or he'll start to wonder, huh?"

I shook my head as I pulled on some clean boxers. "I get the impression that Kai is a bit of an airhead. I doubt he'll remember anything that long."

Gray just smirked and pulled on his hat. "See ya," he grunted, and turned to go.

I hated when he just left abruptly, but I didn't want to seem needy. Still…I couldn't stop myself from uttering his name quietly.

Gray sighed deeply, still facing the door. Oh no, I hope I haven't annoyed him, I thought. He brusquely whirled around and stomped back over to me. Much to my delight, he grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me warmly. I sighed happily, trembling a little. "You kill me," Gray muttered, but he couldn't hide the smile that started to curl the edges of his mouth. He kissed me one more time and then he left.

I lolled around the bedroom for a while, taking the opportunity to quickly dive into his bed and snuggle his pillow, inhaling his scent from it. I thought of a great idea, and quickly switched our pillows. They were pretty much the same anyway, except his smelled delicious and manly like him. Mine smelled like flowery shampoo. I wondered if he would notice as I laid down in my own bed, continuing to nuzzle my face into his pillow.

I finally stopped long enough to get fully dressed, and I headed downstairs to eat dinner and help Ann with the chores. I was washing beer mugs when Gray stomped back into the inn, looking annoyed. I met his gaze, and he rolled his eyes at me, smirking a little. I finished up what I was doing and headed up the stairs to meet him in the bedroom.

He was unlacing his boots on the edge of his bed. I flopped down on my bed and smiled wanly at him. "That Kai is a fucking retard," he grunted, and I burst into laughter. He recounted some of the stupid things that Kai had said and done, and I continued to laugh.

I rolled onto my back, looking up at the ceiling. "Am I your girlfriend, Gray?" I laughed softly as I thought about what Kai had said.

Gray growled and suddenly was on me, his hand squeezing me through my pants and his mouth pressed on my lips. I shuddered in pleasurable fright. He pulled away for a second and looked in my eyes. "No, you're just MINE," he grunted at me, and I smiled happily. He released me and continued to undress for bed.

I sat up in the bed, watching him. God, I loved how his body looked. The hard labor he did had shaped it into a work of art. I grinned at him as I hugged my knees. "Go and hang your hat on the door," I teased him.

He snorted as he pulled on his shirt. "Kai's dumb, but not THAT dumb. He'd be pretty suspicious that I had gotten a girlfriend in the span of an hour." He walked between our beds, then quickly leaned in for a kiss. He smiled at me as he got into his own bed. "But we can keep it in mind for the future…"

"Mmmmhmmm…" I responded. We read books for a little while, until we both got sleepy. Kai still hadn't come home, so we assumed he was out drinking. I stretched out to click off the lamp, and we settled down into our beds.

I heard Gray make a noise of surprise. "Hey, did you switch our pillows?" he asked, and I stifled my laughter.

"That didn't take you long to figure out," I said.

"Well, of course not," he grunted. "It smells all good like you. Mine just smells all stupid like me." I laughed to myself, and then blew him a little kiss as we fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The evenings passed slowly. The bar became busier, and I helped out more in the evenings than I had been. One night, as I was serving drinks and doing other things to help out Doug and Ann, I watched the clock nervously. Gray must have been stuck at work, because the time crept closer and closer to 7pm, aka zero hour, when the room was no longer safe to mess around in, because Kai was free to come home. I sighed to myself, and poured Duke another mug of wine.

"You're a good kid," he slurred at me. "Tell ya what. When fall comes, I'll give you a part time job harvesting grapes and making wine. How does that sound?" His eyes lolled around in his head as he struggled to focus.

Doug cleared his throat noisily. "Duke, are you trying to steal my help? Shame on you!" Duke just laughed, burped, and laid his head down on the counter. I shook my head and edged away to move onto another task.

It was almost 8 when Gray dragged himself in, looking exhausted as he sat down at a table. I hurried to fix two bowls of stew so that we could eat dinner together. I returned to the dining area and approached his table, sitting down and carefully sliding a bowl to him. He accepted it with a grateful smile and began to eat. I looked up at the clock. "Guess it's going to be like old times tonight, huh?" I murmured. Gray just sighed in disappointment and grunted something inaudible. "Well, it's better than nothing," I mused.

Gray grunted again. "I fucking hate Kai." I gave a little chuckle. Gray shoved his empty bowl forward, and I offered him more.

Gray shook his head. "Naw, I'm going up to get a shower. Alone. Stupid fucking Kai," he grumbled. I clucked my tongue piteously at him, and then our attention was drawn to the door. Kai waltzed in, his arm around Popuri's slim waist. He leaned his face into her pink hair and whispered something that made her giggle and push him away. He moved right back into her, wiggling his eyebrows like crazy, obviously in some attempt to seduce her.

We took in this scene silently. "Disgusting," Gray muttered. He turned and stomped up the stairs. I finished eating my food as I watched Kai and Popuri sidle up to the bar and order drinks. Then I shrugged, removing our bowls and washing them up in the sink.

I got held up in the kitchen assisting Ann with some dinner orders. When I went back out to the bar, Kai and Popuri were gone. I wondered where they had run off to, but I shrugged it off. Doug asked me to straighten up the "wine cellar", which was actually a large wine rack and not a cellar, so I set to the task. Suddenly I heard heavy footsteps on the stairs, and I looked up to see Gray coming down, a very dark expression on his face. I stood up, leaning into the counter and giving him a quizzical look. Gray grunted in reply, obviously extremely irritated. "Kai's claiming the room right now," he hissed.

I couldn't believe that Gray would give in that easily. "Why didn't you just tell him to fuck off?" I asked.

He looked up at me, a bemused expression on his face. As he started to rise, I waved my hand and shook my head. "It's already started, just let them finish it. This means that Kai owes you now…" I bit my lip, reveling at the idea of getting the room to ourselves for an extended period of time.

Gray played with the bill of his hat. "I'm gonna hang this on the door tomorrow," he smirked, licking his lips.

I nodded happily, then poured Gray a mug of beer. He took a long sip, and I continued to clean up the wine rack. Hours passed, and Gray drank beer after beer. His inhibitions lowered, he made sexy eyes at me all night, which made me scurry away from him, struggling to keep from getting a hard on. I tried to focus on helping Doug behind the bar.

At one point, I passed close by to Gray, and he grabbed at my ass. "Mmm…I'm going to fuck you so hard…" he growled at me, making me flush in pleasure.

"Stop!" I hissed at him, even though I really wanted to beg him to continue. "There's people around," I murmured.

Gray rolled his eyes. "So? Let's give them a show," he licked his lips at me, and I trembled, but broke away from him to get back to work. He was such a tease!

Finally, well past 11 pm, Kai and Popuri descended the stairs. Her face was flushed, and he was preening and prancing like a rooster. What a knob, I thought. Gray looked at me, and then went upstairs. I finished washing a few glasses, then I bid Ann good night. I went upstairs as well, letting myself into the room.

Gray had stripped down to his boxers, and was just climbing in his bed. He beckoned at me, and I rolled my eyes. I stepped forward and kissed him chastely, but pulled away. "You know that Kai's going to come back in any second now," I whispered, giving him a sad face.

"At this point, I don't even care," he growled. "I want you so bad." His face wavered, looking so pitiful, that I almost caved. But, my judgment won the day and I stepped back, shaking my head.

"Tomorrow…tomorrow," I promised, stepping around the side of my bed, removing my shirt.

"Telling me no, and then stripping off in front of me? You're evil," Gray pouted.

I pouted back. "Don't say that. You know I love you, and I want you too."

"Then come show me," Gray said, stretching his arms out to me. I groaned, and shook my head once more. Gray looked down sadly, and I couldn't resist rushing forward to him. I kissed him quickly, slipping my tongue in his mouth briefly. He groaned in pleasure and grabbed at me, but we pulled away from each other as we heard footsteps approaching.

I dove into my bed as Kai entered the room. He was obviously in high spirits, singing and humming to himself. Gray and I both pretended to be asleep to avoid hearing about his fuck fest.

The next evening, we wolfed down our dinner, more interested in eating each other up. I glanced at the clock as Gray hurried upstairs. It was 5:30, so we had plenty of time to mess around. I washed up our dishes, then hustled up the stairs myself. I grinned when I saw Gray's hat on the door. I lifted it up, turning the doorknob and opening the door, and then I placed his hat back down as I shut it behind me. He was waiting for me, and I locked the door and gave him a wide eyed look. "I saw your hat on the door. Did you want some privacy? Should I leave?" I purred at him.

Gray gave a throaty growl, pulling me in for a deep kiss. I sighed happily into it, and he urged me over to his bed. His hands and mouth worked desperately at me, but I had other ideas in mind. "Let's take it slow," I pleaded to him. I wanted to stretch this out, since we knew we would have a nice length of uninterrupted privacy. Gray grunted in my ear, planting wet kisses up and down my neck. His mouth found my ear again, nibbling lightly at the earlobe, and making me squeal.

Gray squeezed me harder with his hands, and groaned. "You don't know how bad I want you…" he hissed.

I loved hearing him when he was absolutely desperate for me. "Tell me…" I begged.

His voice came rushing past my ear. "I've been rock hard all day, thinking about this." I groaned and trembled, feeling my hard on ache as Gray pressed himself on top of me. His mouth continued to kiss furiously at me. His big strong hands grabbed at my erection through my pants, rubbing it slightly, then he moved his hands around back and teased at my entrance though the fabric. I groaned, mad with desire, and my hands flew to the zipper of his jumpsuit, slowly easing it down. He responded by pulling my shirt over my head. He pulled away slightly to remove his jumpsuit, and I took the opportunity to get out of my pants.

We met once again on the bed, and I stroked at his muscular chest. My lips pressed up at it, and I whispered, "I love your body," as I licked one of his nipples. Gray moaned out in pleasure. I continued my praise of him, rubbing his arms and shoulders deeply. "You're so strong…" His body was simply amazing. Strong, beautiful, sensual. I couldn't ever see enough of it, or touch him too much. Gray smiled down on me, pressing his very hard manhood into my leg. I responded by grabbing at it, loving how thick it was.

Gray turned his attention to my own hardness, looking down at it. I had a pair of tight black bikini briefs on, and he moaned in delight at how my hardness looked underneath. I smiled happily as he licked his lips, urging them off with a lustful groan. He grasped at my hardness, pumping it up and down in his strong callused hand. I moaned, and he moved down to take it in his mouth. It felt so wonderful as he licked and sucked at it. But all I could think about was having him buried deep inside of me. I pushed him away, much to his surprise. "I want you inside of me, NOW," I pleaded. He took off his underwear and I reached forward, coating him with lube.

I motioned for him to lay on his back, and then I cautiously moved over him, sitting down on his hard manhood. I whimpered with pleasure as he groaned, then I began stroking myself. He was hitting me just right inside, and I felt myself on the edge. I stroked harder at myself, and then hissed in ecstasy as I spurted come up and out onto Gray's chest. Gray grunted in pleasure at me, then thrust harder into me as he pulsed his hot release inside of me. It felt heavenly, and I trembled against him.

After we cleaned up, we snuggled in his bed for a while. I expressed my desire to stay like that, and keep Kai out all night. Gray convinced me that it was impossible, and we finally broke apart and got dressed. I brushed my teeth as he unlocked the door and removed his hat.

About an hour later, Kai joined us in the room. I read a book, trying to ignore him. I heard him cry out "Congrats, man! I'm guessing by the hat on the door that you must have scored! Sweet!" I assumed he was addressing Gray, so I kept ignoring him.

No answer came out of Gray. I heard Kai pipe up again. "So…DETAILS, man." There was still no answer, and I heard Kai whine. "Aw, man, that's cold! I want to know what this chick is like! You got you a chica finally, and I want to know all about it!" Gray continued to be silent.

"Fine, man, be that way," Kai replied to Gray's silence. There was no sound in the room for a while, and then he spoke once more. "Oh yeah!" he cried out. "I can tell you all about my little adventure with Popuri last night!"

I grimaced as he detailed how he and Popuri had sex the night before. He told us all about how creamy her pussy was, and what an awesome freak she was. I cared nothing about hearing about a woman, so I tried with all my might to block out his words and focus on my book. Gray buried his face in his pillow, looking ill.

Kai continued to brag and boast. "I made her come seven times!" I frowned to myself. I doubted that was even possible, and figured Popuri had been putting on a show for Kai. That made me chuckle a little, which Kai unfortunately took as interest, and continued talking even louder. "Even though I satisfied the shit out of her yesterday, she's still needs more of the Kai Machine! And she was even begging for more today. I tried to bring her up here a while ago, but I saw your hat and heard the bed creaking, and I knew some funky business was going down! Oh yeah! I had to put my needs aside for the moment. It was only fair that you got your turn, man. So, you're not even going to tell me what this freaky deaky looks like? From the sound of it, she was rocking your world!"

I choked on a laugh, thinking it was hilarious that Kai assumed Gray was sleeping with a woman. So, I was a "freaky deaky" whatever the hell that meant. Kai must have noticed my amusement, because he piped up again. "See man, even Cliff wants to hear about it. Dontcha?"

I tried not to laugh at the stupid bastard. I turned my attention as hard as I could on the book.

Kai clucked his tongue. "Yeah, I can tell by that look on his face that even he wants to know all about how you got busy tonight. Come on, just tell me what she looks like!" he pleaded.

I was shocked to hear Gray grunt an answer. "Long brown hair. Blue eyes. Really sexy." My body tingled with pleasure and fright, worrying that Kai would figure out that Gray was describing me.

Apparently not, because he just cheered. I looked up at him. "Aw, yeah! She sounds hot as hell!" He reared up on his knees, thrusting his hips and swatting his hand in front on him. I gaped at his pathetic simulated sex show.

Gray groaned. "Kai?"

Kai paused in his erratic movements and grinned. "Yeah, dude?"

"Shut the fuck up and go to bed." Gray growled. I roared with laughter as Kai struggled to say something smart back. He ended up chuckling. "I get it dude, I get it. You need to chill out now and enjoy the afterglow. I'll be cool." He finally shut up and got in bed. I put down my book and turned out the lights.

I enjoyed the quiet, but of course Kai found a way to mess it up. His voice rang out loud and clear. "Bow chicka wow wow."

I heard Gray's very irritated voice snap out. "Kai, for the love of the Goddess, shut the fuck up or I swear I will beat the shit out of you!"

Kai squeaked, then shut up immediately. Gray rolled his body towards me, looking extremely aggravated. I smiled at him, and he no longer looked angry. He made sexy eyes at me, and I tingled happily.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

A few nights later, Gray came in from work just as I was getting hungry for dinner. He stomped in, as he usually did, throwing his hat casually on the table as he slouched into a chair. I just smiled at the scene and fixed us both a plate of the grilled fish that I had helped Ann prepare. We ate in comfortable silence, occasionally making eyes at each other over the table. By the Goddess, he was sexy. Just looking at him made me feel hot. He finished his meal quickly and headed up the stairs, flashing me a cocky look as he went.

I washed up our dishes and then headed up after him, tingling all over in anticipation. I couldn't get enough of him. I wanted to feel his hands on me all the time, to feel his weight pressing down on me, to hear him breathing in my ear. I stepped into the bedroom and locked eyes with him. He smirked at me, and I decided to take the lube into the bathroom with us this time. I hardly ever did, but penetration was pretty much impossible without it, so we always ended up doing other things instead. Which wasn't always a bad thing, but I wanted to send him a clear message that I needed him inside of me. I saw Gray's eyes flash as I retrieved it from the nightstand drawer, and I knew that he understood what I wanted. We shed our clothes and headed into the bathroom.

I turned on the shower, and Gray embraced me from behind, his lips sliding over my neck. I sighed, trembling at each kiss, and Gray's fingers wandered to my ponytail. He worked it loose, and my hair fell out over my back. I turned around to face him, catching his lips and kissing him deeply, as he ran his fingers through my hair again and again. Gray pushed me away from the shower, towards the sink. The edge of it pressed into the backs of my thighs as he felt me up, tracing the tip of his finger up and down my length teasingly.

He grabbed me roughly, turning me around to face the mirror. I blushed at my reflection, and instead focused on Gray's smirking face behind me. He grabbed the lube out of my hand, flicking it open and slicking himself up. I loved the dangerous look on his face. He made me ache and tingle all over just by looking at me. His mouth was suddenly at my ear, and I heard him say, "I want to see your face when I take you from behind." I shivered as his hands came up behind me, and I groaned as I felt him pressing at my entrance. He grunted in pleasure and worked his way inside, and I watched him watching me in the mirror. He smirked and stared as my facial expressions changed with the rapidly building ecstasy.

My hand dropped to my throbbing member, squeezing and working it, as he held onto my hips, thrusting himself into me. I whined because it felt so incredible I couldn't stand it, and Gray brought his mouth close to my ear again. "You like it?" he asked in a low whisper. I nodded, unable to speak because I was so overwhelmed. I could feel myself getting nearing the threshold, and Gray sensed this. He asked me if I was close.

"Yes," I gasped, and he increased the speed of his thrusting, obviously close himself. He gave a low groan and I cried out sharply as we both released at the same moment. My come spurted out and into the sink. With a shaking hand, I turned on the faucet and watched it run down the drain. Gray kissed my back over and over again, and then we got into the shower.

We hugged each other inside the shower, both feeling blissful. Gray's hands came to my head, petting my hair gently. I felt his hands drop to my shoulders, and he pushed me directly under the flow of water. The warm rain quickly soaked my hair, and Gray reached back and grabbed the pink bottle of shampoo that I always used. He squeezed a large amount into his hand, and put it on my head. I laughed, asking him what he was doing.

"I'm washing your hair, stupid," Gray said, smiling. I felt his hand rubbing in a tight circle, and I could feel my hair becoming impossibly tangled.

I squealed at him, trying to make him quit it. "Stop! You're messing it up!"

"Naw, it's cool," Gray laughed, and his hands continued to mess up my hair.

"You're not the one that has to brush it out later!" I cried out, as I tried to slap his hands away from my hair and keep him from doing further damage.

Gray grinned. "I could brush it for you," he offered.

Yeah, right, I thought. "No. You're too strong. You'd probably pull it all out." I imagined him gripping the hairbrush fiercely, yanking it through my hair. Just the idea of it made me wince.

Gray made a sad face at me. "I would never pull out your hair."

His hands were still in my hair, and it was starting to become painful. "You're pulling it out now!" I cried. I jerked his big hands by the wrists, tilting and moving my head at the same time to try and get free. A few moments later, I had gotten it untangled, and I rinsed the last of the shampoo out.

Gray picked up the conditioner bottle, turning it over in his hands. "What about this stuff? Can I put some of this in?" I started to tell him no, but I figured he couldn't do much damage with conditioner. I was wrong. He proceeded to empty the entire bottle onto my scalp, where I never put conditioner.

"What are you doing?" I yelled. I moved my head back, trying in vain to rinse the slippery stuff off. "Not at the top! Only on the rest of my hair! Now it's going to be all greasy looking," I wailed, knowing that my hair would be terrible tomorrow. Call me whatever you like, but my hair was my pride and joy, and I was miserable when it looked bad.

Gray kissed me, cutting off what I was about to say. "Don't worry, I'll still think you're cute." I sulked for a minute, as I continued to rinse the remnants of conditioner out of my hair. I gave him a half pouting smile.

Then, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. I picked up the shampoo bottle. "Now let me wash YOUR hair." I narrowed my eyes at him.

He looked down at me, smirking. "Can you reach that high?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not THAT much shorter than you." He always liked to tease me like I was so tiny, when really I was an average height for a man, about 5'9". It's just that because he towered at 6'3", he acted like he was a giant and I was a midget, when only six inches separated us. I poured out a small amount of shampoo, as Gray turned around. I stretched my arms up, wanting to tangle my fingers in his hair and pull on it, but his hair was so short that it wasn't really feasible. Besides, I didn't want to hurt him anyway. I just lathered up his head nicely.

Gray groaned as he sniffed at the air. "Aw, you're using that fruity stuff of yours. I'm going to smell like you!"

I huffed, my feelings a little hurt. "I thought you liked the way I smell."

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. On you. It wouldn't be right for me to smell like flowers and sunshine. That's your thing."

I found this hilarious, and I started laughing. "Flowers and sunshine? That's what I smell like to you?"

Gray grinned lazily, water dripping down his face. "Yeah." He looked lost in thought. "What do I smell like?"

I gave him a sly smile before answering. "Sex." Gray chuckled at that, and I snaked my arms around him. I nuzzled my face into his chest and purred, "You always smell so manly and good. Even when you come home, and you're all dirty. You smell like sweat and burnt metal, but I love it." Gray chuckled again, moving backwards to rinse the suds out of his hair.

I got the washcloth, lathering it up with soap and rubbing it in circles over Gray's body. Gray cried out playfully, "Hey now, you're washing off my man scent!" he said as he took the washcloth from me. He grabbed the shampoo bottle once again, squeezing a large amount of it out over the cloth. I squealed a little as he clamped it down on me, scrubbing me vigorously. "Now you can smell even more like flowers and sunshine," he teased.

"Hey, that stuff's just for my hair, not for my body!" I exclaimed.

Gray shrugged. "When you rinse it out of your hair, it runs all over your body, and it doesn't mess anything up. So it's fine. Relax," he said as he continued rubbing me with the cloth. He used it to grab at my manhood and everywhere else, and I squealed. Suddenly, the water coming out of the tap changed to cold, and we quickly rinsed and shut the shower off. I shivered as Gray handed me a towel.

"Aw, are you cold, baby?" he asked. He rubbed his own towel briskly over me, trying to warm me up. The fact that he had casually called me a pet name warmed me up even more. I blushed a little, wrapping my towel around my waist. He mirrored the action, and we stepped out into the bedroom, me pulling him by his towel, batting my eyes at him.

Something didn't feel right, and I quickly realized that we had messed up. We had exited the bathroom together on the one day Kai was home early. He stared at us from his bed, and I gave a little shriek and moved behind Gray, trying to hide, which didn't really help our case, I guess.

Kai cried out in surprise. "What the fuck? Are you guys…" Gray stomped towards him, and I could see the look of terror on his face as Gray got closer. "No, man, I'm not into that!" he sputtered as Gray reached for his collar. Gray yanked him to his feet, staring him down. "You say one damn word to anyone, and I'll smash your face in. Got it?" he hissed at Kai, who nodded. Gray released his hold on Kai, who dropped back down to the bed.

Kai looked back and forth between us, both scared and amazed. "Whoa…" he breathed out. "I never would have guessed it. I mean, I guessed that he was," he said, pointing at me. I rolled my eyes. Kai then looked at Gray, "But you, no way!" Kai seemed to be thinking about something, and he exclaimed, "What about your girlfriend, man?" Gray didn't respond. Kai looked over at me again, and realization lit up his face. "Long brown hair…blue eyes…" Kai muttered. "Man, I'm a doofus."

"Yeah, we know," Gray grunted at him. "Now, get the fuck out!" Kai ran out of the room as fast as he could, and Gray locked the door behind him. He sat down on my bed, holding his head in his hands. I sat next to him.

"Urg, he's going to tell everyone, I just know it!" Gray lamented.

I stroked his back, trying to calm him down. "No, I don't think so. He looked pretty scared of you. And think of it this way…the worst is over. He knows, but I'm pretty sure he won't tell anyone. So maybe we can work out a deal with him so that we can have some privacy once again." He looked at me, seeming to agree with my words, and leaned in for a kiss.

I started to think about something. Gray seemed really adamant that he didn't want anyone to know about us. I wondered if what we had would always be secret. I mean, it wasn't like I wanted to flaunt it in people's faces and talk about it to everyone, but somehow I wished that we didn't have to always remain so hidden. I sighed a little, and Gray looked over at me, worried. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Are you embarrassed to be with me?" I asked him.

Gray snorted. "No. Are you embarrassed to be with me?" I shook my head. Gray spoke again. "The only reason I want it to be secret is because of my stupid old grandfather. He'd murder me for sure. He always says that relationships just impede a blacksmith and hold him back from his true potential. Which explains why he drove my grandmother away." He snorted again. "I think he's wrong. I didn't start getting serious about my work until I met you." He looked at the ground, and I was surprised to see him blushing deeply. "I didn't care about anything before…but now I do." It made me really happy to know that I mattered so much to him, and I moved closer to him on the bed.

We sat quietly for a while. Then I told him I was cold, and he laughed and ruffled my hair, tangling it once more. I squealed at him that he was going to have to brush it, and he agreed.

We both got dressed. He wanted to brush it right then, but I told him that I had to let it dry a little more. He laid on his bed on his stomach, and grinned at me.

"Having long hair seems like a lot of work," he mused.

"Yeah, a little. But it's worth it. Right?" I asked him. "You like my hair, don't you?"

"Oh yeah," he smirked. "I like how it bounces on your back when I'm doing you."

"Naughty!" I exclaimed, and he just smiled lazily at me.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I took a deep breath, then approached Gray with my hairbrush. He smirked at me. "What, you want me to spank you with this?"

I smirked back. "That might be more pleasurable…but we'll save that for another time. That creep Kai is going to come back any minute. Here." I thrust the brush at him. "You said you wanted to brush it."

I sat down on his bed, turning my back to him. I tried to explain it to him. "You have to start from the bottom, and work your way up, okay?" He proceeded to brush UP my hair, like holding the end of my hair and moving the brush up, messing it up even more than it had been. "No! Not like that! Brush downwards, but start at the very end and brush through a small section, then brush downwards a little bit higher up, until it's all untangled."

"Oh, okay, got it," he said, and started brushing the very ends of my hair lightly. I hummed happily.

"Does that feel good, baby?" he asked me, and I flushed again at him calling me an affectionate pet name. I murmured a yes, and he continued brushing. I was amazed that he was actually doing a good job. Then he huffed. "This takes too long. Why can't I just brush the whole thing ?" He pulled the hairbrush through the entire length, ripping through tangles and causing me a serious amount of pain.

I grabbed my head, crying out, "Stop! Stop it! You're hurting me!"

He laughed, apparently not believing that it really hurt. "Oh, you're such a wimp."

I continued to wail. "I'm serious! Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Well, if you would stop squirming…" Gray admonished me.

"I'm squirming because you're hurting me!" Tears actually sprung to my eyes, and I wheeled around and took the hairbrush from him. He looked surprised, staring at me with his mouth open. I sulkily took the brush and worked it carefully through my hair, trying not to aggravate my injured scalp any further.

Gray reached out and laid a hand on my shoulder. "I really hurt you, didn't I?" he said in a soft voice. I nodded, sniffling a little. He leaned forward, hugging me from behind with his strong arms. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered in my ear, and it was impossible to be mad with him any longer.

"It's okay," I said, turning around a little to kiss him. He smiled, stroking the side of my face softly.

"You're such a cute thing," he whispered, then I realized that I better get out of his bed in case Kai came back in. He knew about our relationship now, but I still didn't want to do it in front of him, because I was a courteous person, and I didn't want to gross him out.

Or, in the case that he was secretly into guys, which was very unlikely, I didn't want to turn him on. I had no interest in cocky bastards like that. Gray wasn't always the nicest guy in the world, but he never bragged or boasted about himself. I couldn't stand men that did that. I reflected for a moment that although Gray was hardly ever nice to anyone else, he had never spoken ugly to me, and for that I was thankful. I was sure I'd break down in tears if he ever yelled at me the way he yelled at Kai.

Gray had settled down into bed, falling asleep quickly. I settled into my own bed, picking up my book and reading it for a while. It was a mystery, and I was dying to get to the end tonight. Gray never minded sleeping if the light was on, so I didn't mind staying up a little later than him. I looked over at him for a moment, watching him sleeping peacefully. I wished I could be snuggled under the covers with him, but with our current situation, it was impossible. I sighed and turned back to my book.

About half an hour later, I heard a key in the door. I looked up to see Kai closing the door behind himself, looking scared out of his wits. I raised my eyebrows at him as he glanced over at Gray's bed, looking nervous. Kai quickly darted his eyes back to me, and I pressed a finger to my lips to signal him to be quiet. He nodded and crept over to his bed. I heard him changing, and as soon as he was in his bed, I laid down my book and shut off the light. The end would have to wait until tomorrow.

The next day, I stirred in my bed as the daylight streamed in. I looked over at Gray's bed, which was already empty. I stood up, stretching, and made both of our beds. Kai exited the bathroom just then, giving me a nervous hello.

"Listen, Kai," I began. "Why don't we work out a deal?" Kai looked at me with wide eyes. "We could alternate days with the room, and both get privacy. Like… if we get the room on odd numbered days, you can have it on even numbered days." Kai nodded, and I continued. "You can still sleep here, of course. Just don't come home until midnight on odd days. I know it's a lot to ask, but in exchange we'll stay clear of the room until 10 pm on even days." Kai nodded again, and I smiled. "See, we worked it out in a civilized way."

Kai just nodded again nervously, and hurried out of the room. I sighed. He was acting like he was afraid of catching "man fever" from me or something. Oh well, at least we had a deal. And today was an odd numbered day, I cheered to myself.

When Gray came home, I told him about the arrangement. He was more than thrilled, and he pushed me down on my bed, kissing me happily over and over. "So now, we have lots of time to ourselves…mmmm…" he growled, nuzzling his face into my neck.

I glanced at the clock, which read 6 pm. "Six whole hours, in fact. What will we ever do with the other five and a half hours?"

Gray snorted, his hands moving over my body. "Hey, it's not my fault you always come so fast."

I squealed, protesting. "It is too your fault! You're the one doing it to me!"

He smiled lazily down at me, his hand finding my manhood and squeezing there playfully. "I wonder who comes faster?"

My eyes flashed at him. "Wanna have a race?" He laughed and nodded, and we quickly shed our clothes. I grabbed the lube, putting some on him and then on me.

"Okay, what are we racing exactly? Do I win if I come first or if you do?" he asked.

"You want to come first. We're seeing who can make themselves come the fastest," I responded, then dropped my hand to myself. "Okay, ready? Go!" We pumped furiously at ourselves, and I couldn't help but giggle at how silly it seemed.

"Don't…do that…" Gray panted. "You know that…your giggling turns me on…you're just…helping me…" I stopped giggling and started concentrating. I watched him, and moaned with pleasure as I stroked feverishly at myself. I cried out brokenly as I released, and it spurted out onto Gray. Gray moaned happily, but let go of himself. "Shit, I lost." He reached for the tissues, cleaning off his stomach. "You had a head start, anyway. I had already been feeling you up before we started."

"Well, it doesn't matter, I won!" I gloated, sticking my tongue out at him.

He growled and grabbed me, kissing me and forcing my tongue back into my mouth. "Yeah, you won…and you know what you win? You get to finish me off." I groaned happily as he pushed me onto my back, shoving my thighs up so that he could press the tip of his already slick hardness into my entrance. We both moaned in delight as he moved inside of me. "Oh…ohh!" he cried out, climaxing after less than a minute.

"Well, that was quick," I pouted, wanting to get it for at least a little longer.

He pulled out of me, gasping for air. "Yeah, but I was so close already, and…" he trailed off, looking up at the clock. "6:07...we have a lot of time to kill." I laughed, and he leaned down and kissed me gently.

Three days later, Kai invited us to the fireworks festival and buffet at the Snack Shack that would be held the following evening. Gray had been initially reluctant to go, but gave in when I insisted that I wanted to. I was a little excited about it, honestly. It would be like a kinda sorta date for us. I mean, we couldn't hold hands or act like couple, but still, we were going out in public together.

Before we left for the festival, I pushed him down on my bed. "Let's make our own fireworks first," I purred at him, and he groaned.

"That's so cheesy…" He then had to kiss away my pout. "No, it's not cheesy. Let's make fireworks." He kissed down my chest, moving my shirt up so that he could lick my stomach. I sighed happily as he removed my pants, and kissed at my hardness through my underwear. He then removed those, grabbing my manhood and putting his mouth on it. I had to cover my mouth to keep from screaming out in pleasure, and he looked up at me, pausing in his work to speak. "Don't do that…" he growled. "I want to hear your voice."

I nodded and moved my hand away from my mouth. I let him hear me moan as he resumed sucking me. After a moment, he brought his mouth off again, and I looked down to see what he was doing. He locked eyes with me as he put his index finger in his mouth and sucked on it. I shivered with pleasure, knowing what he was about to do. He put his mouth back on me, and at the same time I felt him slip his finger inside of me. It felt so incredible, that I could barely control myself as I released into his mouth.

I trembled and tried to recover as Gray took off his clothes, smiling down on me with a sexy look on his face. He brought his hand to himself, and I could see slick moisture glistening on the tip of his hardness. I moved into position, and he carefully pushed himself inside of me. It was not as slippery as usual, but it still felt amazing. I groaned, grabbing at the sheets wildly as he slowly moved in and out of me. After just a few minutes, he gave a low groan, squeezing my thighs firmly with his hands as he climaxed. I sighed happily, and he laid down on the bed with me, nuzzling at my neck. We finally decided it was time to go, and we got dressed and set out.

We ate at the snack shack, then the fireworks began. We moved away from the crowd, to a dark corner of the beach. Carefully lowering ourselves to the sand, we leaned back and looked up into the sky. I loved fireworks, and I couldn't hold back my gasps of delight and pleasure at each display. I gasped even more when Gray reached for my hand, twining his fingers with mine. I smiled blissfully at him, and he laughed softly. I turned my attention back to the fireworks. They seemed even more beautiful than before.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

After the fireworks festival passed, I was thrilled when I realized that summer would soon be over. I longed to share a bed with Gray once again. Because, it wasn't just about the hot sex we were having, which was of course mind blowing. It was about being with him. I liked snuggling him, being around him, just everything. I didn't like having an intrusion like Kai coming between us. He made things awkward, and I couldn't wait for fall to come.

Two nights after the fireworks, it was once again Kai's turn to get the room. Gray and I passed the time downstairs. Me with working, and him with drinking. I thought he was so cute when he got tipsy. His face would get red, and of course he would get frisky and playful, a side of Gray that he rarely let out, at least not in public.

He sipped at his beer, and we both looked up at the clock. Nine thirty. That meant only half an hour until Kai had to finish his business with Popuri and let us back in the room. Gray winked at me. "Hey, baby."

I blushed, pausing in my work. "I love it when you call me that." Gray just chuckled and continued to drink his beer.

A few minutes later, he narrowed his eyes at me. "Hey, do you think in the time it takes for Kai to walk that girl home, we could get it on?"

I squirmed. "I don't know…it's risky."

"I like a risk…oh, I am so going to be all over you when we get up there. I have such a big hard on…" he hissed. I flushed happily, and turned away to was some beer mugs. We were both watching the clock, antsy with anticipation. When the hour hand moved onto the ten, Gray set down his empty mug triumphantly. "You better get ready," he growled, and I tingled all over. He slid off the barstool and strode up the stairs.

I finished my work, then followed after him. I passed Kai and Popuri hurrying down the stairs. I smiled to myself, guessing that Gray must have kicked them out rather harshly. I slipped into the bedroom, locking the door behind me. I didn't see him in the room, so I guessed that he was in the bathroom. I hurried over to the nightstand to get the lube. I bit my lip happily when I saw it was already gone.

I pushed open the door of the bathroom, and I saw Gray inside. His clothes were in a heap on the floor, and he stroked hard at himself. "I want you…" he groaned. I sighed with pleasure, and I disrobed as I moved forward to him. He grabbed me roughly by the shoulders, pushing me up against the sink, and I could tell he already had lube on his hand. I was sure that he was going to turn me around and take me from behind, but he surprised me by dropping to a kneeling position, taking me into his mouth. I yelped in pleased surprise, and he smirked with his mouth full.

He sucked furiously at me, taking his mouth off for a minute to hiss, "I just had to taste you." I groaned in delight as he returned his mouth to me, and then pushed one slippery finger inside of me. He worked frenetically, and I felt dizzy with the pace of his passion. I had to grip onto the cold porcelain so as not to lose my balance, and when he took me all the way in, deep down his throat, I could no longer take it. I exploded with a satisfied cry, feeling myself pulsing hard.

When I was finally able to open my eyes again, I looked at Gray in a haze of bliss as he rose to his feet, smirking and grabbing me once again. This time, he shoved me up against the door. My face pressed sideways on the wood, and I felt his fingernails pressing lightly into my skin as he grabbed at my hips and thrust himself inside. I bit on my lip, trying desperately to muffle my cry of pleasure, as I wasn't sure if Kai was right outside the door or not. When I heard Gray's loud groaning, I realized it didn't matter whether I made noise or not. If we were going to be heard, we were going to be heard. I opened my mouth and let a moan escape.

He pounded me hard against the door, grunting and panting. "You are so tight," he groaned, and I murmured happily. He gritted his teeth and breathed harshly as he released inside of me. I gave a deep sigh of satisfaction, and he leaned into me, planting breathy kisses on the back of my head. We pulled apart carefully and cleaned up, then redressed quickly, pausing a couple times to kiss.

Once we were fully dressed, I took a deep breath and opened the door. Unfortunately, as I had guessed, it took Kai less time to walk Popuri home than we had hoped. He was sitting on his bed, and he turned a strange face at us. There was bemusement mingled with disgust all over it. I just lowered my eyes, going to the drawer that held my clothes and fishing out something to sleep in. Gray did the same, and Kai made a gagging noise.

"I'm gonna puke, dude…" he mumbled, and Gray just snorted. "The bathroom's that way," he grunted, jerking his thumb to where we just came out of.

I glanced up at Kai, who was shaking his head. "No way man! I heard you dudes! That place is probably all splattered in man chowder. I ain't going in there again until Ann cleans it or something." I just gaped at him, and Gray just gave a low laugh.

"Whatever, you dumb fuck…" he muttered, getting into his bed. I switched off the light and got into my bed as well, but not before stepping over and giving Gray a goodnight kiss.

Kai couldn't leave well enough alone, and piped up again. "So, how does that even work? What do you guys do to each other?"

Gray, who was turned towards me, just glowered and snorted. I blushed and stammered. "We don't have to tell you that!"

Kai's voice came out of the darkness, slightly whiny. "Come on, man. I'll tell you all about what it's like with a girl. Maybe you'll realize you're missing out."

Gray grumbled something, and I made a face. "No, thanks. You've already told us enough in your bragging. Why do you even want to know?"

Kai started to say something, and Gray muttered at me, "Don't talk to him, baby. It's a waste of time."

Kai howled with laughter. "Baby? Baby?!" I felt my face getting hot, and I moved further under the covers, trying to hide from the embarrassment somehow. Kai continued. "Aw, man, that's so g-" the rest of the sentence broke off into a squeal. I propped myself up on one elbow, trying to see what was happening on the other side of the room.

Gray leaned over Kai's bed, pinning him down by the neck. "When are you going to learn to shut your damn mouth?" he snarled. Kai whimpered and squealed, and Gray finally released him with a disgusted "Ugh." He climbed back into his own bed, muttering to himself.

Kai made sad squeaky noises. "All right, dudes, I won't talk anymore! Damn!" The room was silent for several minutes. "Hey, Cliff," Kai's voice came out of the darkness. Gray sighed heavily. Kai continued. "Does Gray push you around like that? That's sick, dude." A growling noise came from Gray's bed. "Okay, okay!" Kai squeaked, and the room was finally silent.

This scene was almost repeated exactly on Kai's last night there. We were ecstatic that he was leaving, but of course he didn't hesitate to open his big mouth and say some stupid comments to us. Something about if we liked "guzzling man chowder." Gray had threatened Kai with physical violence once again, and Kai pleaded for forgiveness, like always. I was tired of these scenes, and I was thankful that it was the last day of summer. I couldn't handle much more of it.

The next morning, I woke up to the feeling of Gray snuggling me from behind. I was still half asleep, but I was aware that this meant something wonderful. "Is he gone?" I murmured.

Gray kissed the back of my head. "Yep, we'll have three Kai free seasons ahead of us."

I moaned happily, and Gray reached down, stroking his hand up and down my hardness. "Naughty…" I admonished him, yawning a little. Gray grunted something in response, and suddenly he had me on my back. He pulled my boxers off roughly and his mouth was on me in seconds. I cried out, "Oh, oh…now I'm awake! Oh!" He just gave a chuckle as he continued to suck at me.

"Oooh, Gray, you are so amazing…" I purred, running my fingers through his hair. He bobbed his head up and down, rolling his tongue over me again and again. It was too much for me to take, and I released into his mouth. I smiled happily, licking my lips a little as I prepared for my turn.

But much to my disappointment, Gray stood up and headed for the bathroom. "Well, I gotta go brush my teeth and head to work."

"Wait!" I cried. "Don't I get to do you?"

Gray looked out at me as he was brushing his teeth. "Nope, no time for that now," he said, flashing me a cheeky grin with the brush in his mouth.

I sulked a little, because even though I loved getting it, I loved giving it to him even more. He came back in the room and gave me a little kiss. I could smell the mint on his mouth. He smirked at me. "Mmm… it's too bad I had to wash away the taste of you from my mouth…" he said, making me tingle all over with pleasure. He pressed his lips to mine once more, then grunted, "Love you."

It never got old. I loved hearing that come out of his mouth. I smiled as I said, "I love you."

I pulled the sheets over myself, getting comfortable and falling asleep once more, to enjoy many hot dreams about Gray.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

When Gray got back to the inn that night, we ate dinner together. We relished the fact that Kai was gone for the summer. Then Gray upset me a little by saying he would leave Mineral Town when his blacksmithing apprenticeship was up. The idea of losing him broke my heart. He realized that I thought he meant to leave without me, and he assured me that he would take me with him if and when he left. That was more than all right with me. The only thing attaching me to this town was him. Home was wherever Gray was.

We got in the shower later, where Gray teased me by attempting to wash my hair again. Being so much stronger than me, he was easily able to force me under the water. In an attempt to make him forget about it, I dropped to my knees and began to suck at him. He groaned in pleasure, but was focused on torturing me. He covered my head in shampoo, creating a large amount of lather as he rubbed erratically at my head. Suds started to drip into my eyes, and I looked up at his face, squinting one eye so as not to get shampoo in it. My mouth was full of him, but I managed to mumble out a distinct threat: "I'll bite you."

Gray reared back, removing his manhood from my mouth as quickly as he could. He widened his eyes at me. "You crazy bitch!" he hissed, but I could tell that he was about to start laughing.

I got back to my feet, and leaned back into the flow of water. I ran my fingers the best I could through my tangled hair, and rinsed the suds out. "You're the crazy bitch!" I giggled, and Gray burst out into laughter as well. He gave me an apologetic smile, reaching out his strong arms for a hug. He pressed his slightly rough lips to my smooth ones, then parted his lips and thrust his tongue into my mouth. The warm shower water tasted sweet as it ran down our faces, into our mouths. I sucked on his tongue, and hummed happily.

After a moment, we brought our faces apart. He smiled warmly down on me. "All right, all right, I won't wash your hair. But, uh, how about…?" He brought his hand to the back of my head, pressing lightly to urge me to go back to what I had been doing. I smiled back at him, narrowing my eyes, and I kneeled in front of him. I stroked my fingers gently over his thick hardness, then wrapped one hand around it. I could feel it throbbing slightly against my hand, and I sighed happily as I brought my mouth forward, licking at the tip. It was sweet and very wet from the shower.

Gray leaned into the shower wall, groaning in desire. He admonished me playfully, "No biting!" Just to mess with him, I bared my teeth a little and scraped them against his firm flesh. A surprised squeal escaped Gray's lips, and he shivered with delight, but warned me nonetheless. "I can…still reach the shampoo from here…" I went back to behaving myself, licking at it gently as I tried to act innocent. I did not want him washing my hair any more! "Mmm…that's more like it…" Gray moaned. I increased the speed of my sucking, and took him all the way down my throat. He hissed with delight, raising one hand to his head and slicking back his short hair as he rocked his hips lightly against me.

I could tell he was getting closer, so I brought my mouth up to the head, sucking hard at it as I stroked the shaft furiously with my hand. His groaning got steadily louder, and the taut muscles in his thighs trembled as he climaxed, bursting his sweet release into my mouth. He cried out my name brokenly, and I shuddered with pleasure. I pulled my mouth off carefully, swallowed, and then stroked him gently, coaxing the last drops of release out of him. I lapped them away with my tongue as soon as they appeared, and Gray looked down on me with half closed eyes, murmuring in satisfaction.

I stood up slowly, and he pulled me into his chest. I could feel his heart pounding as I nuzzled my face against him. He kissed the top of my head, and we both sighed happily. After a few moments, we pulled apart. He was still in that blissful post-orgasm state, and he soaped up the washcloth slowly, washing my body sensually.

The way he was looking at me with sexy, satisfied eyes made me start to get hard. As he washed me below the waist, he leaned in and kissed at my neck, whispering, "Shall we take care of that?" into my ear. I just nodded dumbly, and he dropped the washcloth, stroking my length with his hand. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moving my body in close to his as he caressed me. His knuckles grazed lightly against my stomach with each stroke, and I moaned happily, leaning my forehead to rest on his shoulder. He knew just how to touch me, and within a minute I was releasing, spurting out in short bursts. Some landed on his stomach, some ran down his fingers, and I gasped for breath as I looked down at it. The water washed it all away. Gray tilted my chin up with his free hand, and kissed me softly. "I…I love you…" I whispered.

"I love you, too, baby," he replied, gazing into my eyes. I just leaned into him, overwhelmed with happiness. The water became slightly colder at that moment, and I shut it off. We dried off our bodies, still staring lovingly at each other. I turned to the sink to brush my teeth.

Gray opened the bathroom door, and looked back at me over his shoulder. "Since Kai is gone, I can do…this." He removed his towel, hanging it by the door, and entered the bedroom completely naked. I smiled at him, toothbrush in mouth, and watched him walk. By the Goddess, his body was perfect. Just perfect. He was pure lean muscle, with smooth, healthy skin. He walked over to the dresser and got a clean pair of boxers, slipping into them. I rinsed out my mouth and followed him into the bedroom.

He turned to me, his eyes twinkling. "So…my bed, or yours?"

I smiled. "Maybe we can push them together."

Gray nodded, then frowned. "I'll have to move the nightstand. Do you think Ann will mind if we move the furniture?" I shook my head. Ann knew all about us and seemed to have no problem with it, and Doug never came up to the rooms. The bar and kitchen was his domain.

Gray walked up to the nightstand, grasping it in his strong hands and tugging at it. He looked confused, and the nightstand didn't budge. He leaned over, looking at the wall. "It…it's bolted to the wall! Can you believe it?" I clucked my tongue in disappointment, and we both slipped into my bed.

He cuddled up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and sighing happily. I pulled the covers up over us. "It's been so long since we shared a bed…" I whispered.

"Yeah…I've missed it." He kissed the back of my neck.

"Gray?"

"What is it, baby?"

"Do you think one day we'll have our own place?"

He hugged me a little tighter. "Yeah…with a big bed. And a nice kitchen where you can cook me lots of food…" I murmured happily, my eyes getting heavier. I heard his breathing slow down, and he fell asleep with his face buried in my hair. I drifted off to sleep soon after.

Two nights later, we settled down into the bed once more. I turned to face him, kissing him softly. He moaned happily, parting his lips and intensifying the kiss by moving his tongue into my mouth. I traced circles around it, and reached up, stroking his hair with one hand. I broke away from his mouth to kiss a trail down his muscular chest. I flicked my tongue out to lick at his stomach, and he growled with desire.

I reached down, squeezing at him through his boxers. I stroked my fingers lightly at him, reaching down below his manhood and caressing there as well. Then I brought my hands to the waistband of his boxers, and tugged them down, freeing his hardness. I lowered my mouth onto it, sucking at him happily. He tasted so delicious, that I could never get enough of it.

My hair was loose, and it fell forward as I worked at him. Gray moaned a little as he reached down, tucking the stray piece behind my ear. I smiled as much as I could with my mouth full, and continued to work at him, squeezing him with my hands as my mouth moved over him furiously. I was stroking him with one hand and my mouth was slightly off of the head when he climaxed, and it spurted up. I moved my mouth to catch the explosion, and Gray gritted his teeth and groaned with delight. "Ah…that looked so fucking sexy…" he moaned as I licked him clean.

When he had caught his breath, he stood up from the bed and I laid down in it, removing my underwear as I did so. He straddled me at the knees and took me into his mouth, his hand pumping furiously below. I climaxed easily, and he swallowed the release with a smile on his face, then snuggled up next to me.

"It's so wonderful…just you and me…" I yawned, as I fell asleep against his chest.

A week later, I was washing dishes in the kitchen when Ann rushed in. "Oh, Cliff…Gray's grandfather just died!"

I wheeled around, my wet hands dripping soapy water onto the floor. "Huh?"

She paused for breath, clutching one hand to her chest. "Popuri just saw Doctor leaving the smithy's, and he said that Saibara died of a heart attack." My mind reeled, feeling worried for Gray. I knew it was probably terrible, but I couldn't care less that the old man was dead. All I cared about was how Gray was taking it. I hoped that he didn't have to watch his grandfather die. That would be awful.

I waited anxiously for him to return home. I was once again in the kitchen, washing more dishes, when Ann came in. "Gray's home," she murmured, taking my place at the sink as I dried my hands off and headed for our room.

He was lying on my bed, a crumpled, exhausted heap. I laid down behind him and held him, kissing the back of his neck. I didn't try to say anything, because I knew that all he needed right now was just to not be alone. I heard Gray start to gasp, and then he began to sob. I just hugged him more tightly and let him get it out. After a while, he stopped and laughed. "Why am I even crying for that old bastard?"

"Because you're human," I responded. We laid together for a while, then I helped him get a shower. I rubbed his back afterwards, and he fell deep asleep. I draped my arm across his back as I laid next to him, watching him sleep.

The funeral for his grandfather was held the next day. The whole town was there, and I stayed beside Gray the whole time, comforting him the best I could. When it was over, Gray was just as exhausted as the day before, and fell asleep once again after I helped him get a shower.

The day after that, I was roused from sleep by Gray. "Hey, I need you to help me clean up my grandpa's place," he whispered at me, and I got up and dressed so that I could go with him.

I scrubbed and washed everything I could for the entire day. Gray was busy hauling out loads of trash. His grandfather was apparently a packrat. When it was all clean, we returned to the inn, and I started to take my clothes off to get a well deserved shower.

"Why don't you wait until we get back home to do that?" Gray asked me.

I thought maybe he was so tired that he was confused. "We are home," I replied.

Gray stood up, coming over to me. "No, we're going to live at the shop now."

I couldn't believe my ears. "You and me?"

Gray smiled broadly. "Yep, you and me."

I squealed happily, hugging him tightly. We packed up everything we owned, and went down to tell Doug we were moving out. He took the news rather well, and we worked out an arrangement where I would still come and help out for a small salary.

Gray and I walked down the road to the shop, and I was grinning like an idiot the whole way. I was so happy that we were finally going to have our own place! When we got there, I put my clothes in the large mahogany dresser, and looked around.

I had already washed the sheets on the bed, and I plopped down onto it, testing out the springs. "Wow, this bed is huge! I've gotten used to us being crammed in a twin bed! What will we do with all this room?"

Gray laughed and came over to me. "I can think of a few things…" he purred as he pushed me back.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Fall settled on Mineral Town as Gray and I settled into living together. It was so wonderful to have so much space to ourselves. And of course, the best part was being able to snuggle in a big bed with him every night. I couldn't get enough of him.

One thing I did not like, however, was my new across the way neighbor, Rick. We developed a very antagonistic relationship quite quickly. It all started one day when I was leaving the shop to head for the inn to help Ann and Doug. Rick was outside, tending to his chickens, and Popuri, his sister and also the girlfriend of Kai, leaned against a fence, twirling a daisy round and round.

Rick saw me passing by and called out. "Hey, Cliff!" I slowed my pace, smiling, and approached him.

"So you and Gray live there now, huh?" I nodded, trying to stifle the happy grin I felt trying to come out. Popuri giggled to herself, and Rick continued. "Yeah, my sister here tells me that you two are all gay for each other."

I could feel my face getting hot, and I stepped back a little. "Um…" I managed to choke out. I didn't know what to say.

"That's so disgusting," Rick said, making a sour face at me. I furrowed my brow as Popuri continued to titter madly. I turned on my heels and continued on to the inn. I didn't want to be a part of that conversation any longer.

When I got to the inn, Ann noticed that I was slightly agitated, and asked me what was wrong. I sighed heavily and squirmed a bit, then told her what happened with Rick and Popuri. She clucked her tongue and shook her head at me sympathetically. "Rick's just a jerk. You'll just have to ignore him." I nodded, and we went back to washing dishes.

As I walked back home, I purposefully took the path that went past the winery and down to the shop, instead of the other way that made me pass Rick's place. However, our properties still faced each other, and he was outside herding some chickens when I walked up to my door.

"Oh, hey, gay boy," he called out in a sing song voice, mocking me. I just turned my head and let myself in the shop. I decided not to tell Gray about it, since I knew how Gray got when it came to me. Violent. If anyone was bothering me, he would smash his face in, and I didn't want anybody to get hurt. I figured Rick would get bored of teasing me after a while.

I was wrong, because the next day as I exited the shop, Rick called out to me as he started to cross the way. "Hey, gay boy. Was that you I heard screaming last night, or was that Gray? You guys need to keep it down." He laughed harshly, and I blushed heavily, and hurried away from him as fast as I could. I knew that Gray and I had made some noise last night, but really, Rick would have had to be right outside our window listening to hear it. Was he? The idea of it made me shiver in fright. Rick was such a creep.

When I came home that afternoon, Rick mocked me again, and again I ignored him.

The next morning, I set out at as brisk a pace as I could. Rick still took the opportunity to yell one word out at me.

"Faggot!"

I blinked back tears as I practically ran to the inn. Why was he doing this to me? It was so hurtful. I got to the inn and worked as hard as I could, trying to get my mind off of the problem of Rick.

When I headed home, much to my chagrin, Rick was outside once again. This time, in addition to Popuri, there was also Rick's drunk girlfriend Karen, and that ugly librarian, all leaning up on the fence. Rick laughed and hissed something at them as I approached, and I kept my head low, trying to get in the shop as quickly as I could.

"What's the rush, gay boy? Gotta get in there and fuck your boyfriend?" Rick cackled out, making the girls erupt into laughter. I once again blinked back tears as I went into the house. It wasn't that I was embarrassed to be with Gray, I just didn't understand why these people thought it was so funny. We weren't hurting anybody, and we were doing it behind closed doors. So why were they doing this?

Gray looked up from his work as I entered. "Hey, baby," he grunted, and I murmured something in response, still too upset to speak. Gray sensed that something was wrong, and laid down his hammer, coming across the room to me. "What's wrong, baby?" he asked me, worry glinting in his eyes.

"It's…it's nothing," I lied. "I had a really hard day at the inn, that's all."

"Well, you don't have to work there any more if you don't want to. I can take care of you," Gray said earnestly, and I was flattered. I pressed my face into his chest, inhaling his manly scent deeply.

"No, no…it'll be okay," I assured him.

The next morning, I was glad when I saw that Rick wasn't outside. I made my way to the inn, in a much better mood than I had been in. Ann was in a jubilant mood as well, and she laughed and talked as we did chores, telling me all about her date with Jack. I just smiled and nodded, listening with interest.

I was walking happily down the road as I returned home, until I could see the chicken ranch. Rick was outside, and he looked up from his work at me. An evil grin spread across his face. He started to catcall at me, and I just ignored him, heading for the shop. I suddenly felt something hit me square in the back, and I recoiled in shock. I heard Rick's voice laughing uncontrollably. I pawed at my shoulder, trying to look at my back, and I realized that Rick had thrown an egg at me. It was so stupid and juvenile, but it upset me nonetheless. I desperately tried to brush it off my back the best I could, feeling humiliated, as Rick howled with laughter. "Aw, come on, faggot, you're used to having stuff splattered on your back!" Hot tears burned my eyes as I turned the handle to the shop, letting myself in.

Gray was turned away, working on a tool. I was too upset to talk to him right then anyway, and I hurried over to our living area. I peeled the shirt off carefully, choking back a sob. I pushed it down into the washing machine, adding detergent and setting the cycle. As the machine started to hum industriously, I slumped down to the floor, hugging my knees in front of me. I couldn't stop the tears now, and they flowed freely.

I heard a door swing open, and Gray stepped into the room. "Hey, baby, I thought I heard you come home and -" He broke off suddenly as he saw me on the floor. "What's wrong?" he cried out as he rushed forward, stooping down to me and hugging me.

I could hardly speak because I was crying so hard. "Rick…threw an egg at me…"

Gray's voice replied fast, sounding incredulous. "Why?!"

I cried a little more, then tried to explain. "He's been saying hateful things to me when I pass by…about how I'm a faggot and all kinds of other stuff…I've been ignoring him, and then today he did this." I looked up at Gray, and widened my eyes when I saw the look on his face.

It was absolutely murderous.

The blood rose up in his neck, darkening his skin. His jaw was clenched in intense anger. "How dare he…" he growled, standing up and charging out the door. I ran after him, pausing to pull on a t-shirt from the bedroom, then I ran outside.

When I got there, he already had Rick pinned up against the side of the chicken coop by his neck. Rick looked terrified, and I just watched. "You think you're really funny, don't you?" Gray hissed at him. Rick's eyes bugged out, and he tried to speak, but couldn't. "You are one stupid motherfucker…I oughta beat the shit out of you!" Gray growled at him, and Rick shook his head frantically. "You say one more word to my boyfriend, and I'm going to put you in the ground. You got that?" Rick nodded, looking scared out of his wits.

Gray let go, and Rick dropped to his knees, grabbing at his injured throat. "I'm fucking serious," Gray said. "No more of this bullshit." Rick just nodded again, wheezing for breath. Gray gave a disgusted laugh, then wheeled back around to me. The anger on his face melted into concern, and he rushed forward to me, wrapping me in his arms. "Are you okay, baby?" he asked me softly, pressing his forehead to mine. I nodded, and we went into the shop together.

Gray led me by the hand into the bedroom. "I'm so sorry, baby…" he whispered. We sat down on the bed, and he stroked comfortingly at my head and back. I laid down sideways in his lap, and he ran his fingers through my ponytail. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you …ever," he promised, and I sighed happily.

I didn't have anymore trouble out of Rick after that. When I walked past the chicken shop, if he was outside, he would not look at me. That was more than fine with me. I had heard enough out of his mouth to last me a lifetime.

When winter came, I surprised Gray on his birthday by promising to be his slave for the day. He took full advantage, getting me to go down on him first thing in the morning, then demanding I call him master. I actually liked that part, and I willingly complied. I spent the day doing things for him, which actually felt rather fulfilling. It was exhausting work however, and at some point, I collapsed on the bed and took a nap.

When I woke up, Gray surprised me by saying he had a reward for me. He slicked me down with lube, and I trembled in anticipation. Then he laid back on the bed in a submissive position. I was shocked, but Gray was insistent. "Come on, I want to try it. It's my birthday…" I hesitated at first, but Gray kept insisting, and so I leaned forward, pressing myself into his entrance.

I had never given before, so it was a totally new experience. Gray groaned in pleasure, obviously enjoying every second. For me, it felt amazing. It was so tight and hot, and I could feel myself building up. Gray cried out suddenly as he climaxed from being penetrated alone, and the idea of that took me over the edge. I released inside of him with a sharp cry.

Afterwards, we held each other. I thought of something, and I told him that my birthday was the 6th of summer, making him exactly half a year older. He was disappointed that we hadn't celebrated my birthday that year, but honestly, I had forgotten. It had been so long since I had anyone who cared about me, and no one had celebrated my birthday in years.

Gray looked me in the eyes. "Hey…you've got me now. I'll celebrate your birthday," he assured me.

I was so happy. I felt extremely lucky to have him. I suddenly got a good idea, and I piped up. "Do I get you as a slave then?"

Gray chuckled. "I'll think about it…"


	14. Chapter 14

With this, I'm breaking the tradition of having the chapters exactly correlating. That worked at first when there was minimal dialogue, so that it was interesting to see the story from each point of view. What they were feeling, what they were thinking. But it's not as necessary now. Plus, I really want to write this chapter from Cliff's point of view, but I'd have to write two chapters to get Cliff past Winter Thanksgiving (regular story Chapter 15.)

So, here goes!

Chapter 14

It was the last day of the year. Ann and Doug had specially requested for me to help out at the inn all evening. It would be my first New Year's Eve in Mineral Town, and apparently the whole village turned out at the inn every New Year's Eve to drink and celebrate the new year's coming. Gray understood that they needed me, and he decided to come down and join in the festivities so that we could be together.

He sat at the bar, sipping a mug of beer, so that he could be close to me as I mixed drinks. I was all over the floor all night, so I didn't get to stay beside him, but we were able to be together whenever I was behind the bar.

I noticed that Rick was in the bar that evening. I avoided him as much as I could, and even quietly asked Ann to wait on him. She nodded in silent agreement, and I sighed in relief that I didn't have to deal with him.

Finally, it came time for the countdown. Everyone was pairing up, getting ready to kiss at midnight. I surreptitiously took my spot near Gray, acting like I was intently polishing an empty mug. When everyone yelled out "Happy New Year!" I leaned in, quickly pecking Gray on the lips. He blushed heavily as I pulled away, grinning into his face. Everyone else was so wrapped up in kissing their loved ones, that no one really noticed us. I tried to stifle my stupid grin as I turned my attention back to polishing the mug. Gray smiled sheepishly, taking a drink of his beer.

"Got a New Year's resolution?" I asked him.

He mused it for a while. "I guess…all I really want is to keep being with you…" he said quietly, and my face flushed with happiness.

"Me too…" I whispered, and he smiled into his glass. "Be right back," I said. "I have to pee." I headed for the bathroom, quickly doing my business and washing my hands. As I turned the knob to leave, I was surprised to feel someone pushing it from the other side. I let go of the knob as the door swung inwards sharply. On the other side was someone that I did not want to see.

Rick narrowed his eyes dangerously at me. He staggered a little bit, and I realized that he was drunk. I lowered my head and tried to brush past him, but I cried out as he pushed me back into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it.

"What's the rush, gay boy?" he asked me, breathing heavily. His red hair was slightly mussed, and the way he was looking at me made me feel very uncomfortable.

"Let me out," I muttered, but Rick stumbled backwards, blocking my exit.

"Oh, come on…it's New Year's Eve…don't you want to give me a kiss?" he slurred at me, and I made a disgusted face. "Come on, faggot, you like kissing guys. I watched you kiss Gray…" My face flushed, and he advanced on me. I screamed as his hands flew out, trying to grab at me. "Don't yell, it just turns me on," he hissed, and I shuddered in fear, my knees giving out. I fell to the ground. Rick growled in a frightening way. "Oh, is that what you want, faggot? Well, I bet you're really good at it…" My eyes widened in fear as his hands went to his pants, unzipping them.

"No!" I cried, covering my face with my hands. "Go away!"

I could hear Rick's voice still taunting me. "Come on, faggot, I know you like sucking dick…" I could hear the rustling of his pants falling, and I heard his breathing get louder as he got closer.

"No…" I moaned, terrified. This was horrible! I didn't know if it would do me any good, because the party outside was so loud, but I began to yell. "Help! Gray! Gray!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, still trying to shield my face and body from Rick. My entire body was shaking in fear.

Suddenly, I heard the most beautiful noise in the world. It was the sound of the door splitting from its hinges. I lifted my face quickly from my hands, looking up. Rick was frozen with his hand on himself, his pants around his ankles. The bathroom door was kicked in, leaning forward haphazardly, and standing in the doorway, practically breathing fire, was Gray. My heart leapt with joy. "Gray…" I managed to choke out as tears sprang to my eyes.

Gray was on Rick in a second. He yanked him by the neck out into the hallway, roaring at him. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?!" he screamed, throwing him to the ground. I crawled to the doorway, looking out at the spectacle. Rick was trying desperately to crawl backwards, his pants still around his ankles. He looked absolutely terrified.

The whole town was watching in disbelief from the main area of the inn. Rick tried to sputter some excuse, and Gray leaned down swiftly, grabbing him by the collar and punching him across the face. Rick cried out, his glasses flying across the floor. "What did I fucking tell you?!" Gray yelled at him. "I told you I'd kill you if you messed with Cliff again!" Gray punched Rick in the face again and again. The crowd gasped.

"What is the meaning of this?" Harris, the local constable, rushed forward, splitting them apart and trying to take charge of the situation. Rick tried to wipe the blood from his face as Gray seethed at him.

Tears of embarrassment sprung to my eyes, but I spoke up. "Rick…locked me in the bathroom and tried to force himself on me," I sobbed. Gray's face broke with pity, and he rushed over to me, gathering me up in his arms. I clung to the front of his shirt, sobbing into his chest.

Gray pressed his lips to the top of my head as he squeezed me reassuringly. "It's okay now, baby…"

Harris looked a little stunned, but he turned to Rick. "Rick…is this true?" Rick started to protest, but his girlfriend Karen staggered forward drunkenly.

"You…son of a bitch!" she screamed. "So this is what that was all about…you can't talk about anything but Cliff and Gray and how they're so nasty, even when you're fucking me! You just wanted him all along, you sick fuck!" She threw her mug at him, beaning him in the head and splashing beer everywhere. Rick fell sideways, apparently unconscious.

Harris sighed heavily. "I have no idea what's going on…Doctor?" Doctor came out from the crowd, advancing on the strange scene. "Will you help me get this mess out of here?" Doctor nodded, and together they carried the passed out Rick out of the inn.

Gray stroked at my ponytail, murmuring comforting things at me. I buried my face into his chest, hiccupping a little. I could hear whispering coming from the crowd, and I lifted my red rimmed eyes to look at them. Gray turned to face them as well.

"What? Are you shocked?" He gave a low laugh. "I don't give a damn what any of you think. If you don't want me to be your blacksmith any more, then we'll go somewhere else." I stared up at him as he spoke, and he looked down on me, his face softening. "All I care about is you…" he said quietly.

Doug cleared his throat and stepped forward. "This is all so surprising, but…you're still good boys. I can't speak for the whole town, but I for one don't have a problem with it." Some other townspeople murmured, nodding. Others just looked down into their drinks, uncomfortable with everything.

Jack the farmer also spoke up. "You're a good blacksmith…we need you," he said quietly. Ann was by his side, and she nodded resolutely, looking at me with sympathy in her eyes.

Gray sighed heavily. "Let's go home, baby," he whispered to me.

I nodded, then looked at Ann. She waved her hand dismissively. "We've got this. Jack can help clean up." Jack nodded, and I lowered my head, murmuring a thanks. Gray linked his arm with mine, intertwining his large fingers with my slim ones, and we left together.

We were silent on the way home. Gray unlocked the shop, and I shuffled inside. We headed to the bedroom, where I stripped down to my underwear and crawled into bed. Gray removed his clothes and switched out the light, climbing in next to me. I sniffled a little, and Gray pulled me in for a hug, hushing me gently. "It's all over now, baby."

I pressed my face into his chest. "I was so scared…he was acting so weird and I couldn't get away…I…I…" I burst into tears again, and Gray embraced me more tightly.

"Shhh…baby, it's okay…" He rocked me back and forth slightly. "I heard you calling my name…"

I swallowed a sob. "I hoped that you would…"

I felt his strong hand stroke at my hair, working it loose from my ponytail. "I'll always protect you…I promise…" he whispered, and my tears stopped flowing. I nuzzled my face into him, falling asleep feeling warm and safe.


End file.
